Rebuilding a Rose
by shinraui1243
Summary: The Breach. One of the most horrific events to occur in the kingdom of Vale in the last 100 years. For Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, it was so much more. It was a shattering of fragile innocence. It was an evolution of powers, of ideals, of dreams. Even more, it was a step towards a new dawn, however dark the day behind them was. Whiterose/Bumblebee, but its not gonna be easy.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there everyone!**

 **Are you ready to laugh, cry, and just be generally happy/upset? I know I am, 'cause I wrote this story and have done this to myself.**

 **So, I've been lurking for a while on the RWBY side of , and I've been loving every minute of it. So much so that I decided to contribute! Yay! Bring out the confetti!**

 **...I forgot the confetti...**

 **So, like everyone else here, I don't own RWBY or its characters. I don't really plan on bringing in OC's really, though I might to fill in empty spaces in the story (Papa and Mama Schnee, extra teachers, non-generic people to beat up, etc.). So I guess any OC's are mine? IDK don't push me on this, I'm new here.**

 **Anyways, let story time begin!**

She said hi - Narration

 _I should say hi_ \- Thought

"Hi!" - Speech

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Rosebud**

Everything hurt. Not just in the sore, 'just worked out' kind of hurt. No, Weiss felt as though she was literally on fire from head to toe. She groaned, trying to recall what could be causing this very thorough agony.

 _We were in Mountain Glenn on that mission from Beacon. We spent the whole bloody day exterminating Grimm, which was tiring and boring and stupid and…ugh just the worst. I was sore after that, but then we went to sleep, so that couldn't be it…_

 _Oh wait, we had to go save Ruby. She had fallen into that cavern city underneath. There were some White Fang grunts and a train with bombs. Yang, Blake and I went to go stop the train while Ruby and the Professor beat the crap out of the grunts up top. I fought that big motherfucking fau-…evil man with the chainsaw sword. I was winning and then out of nowhere he grabbed me and threw me like a ragdoll. That hurt…a lot. But I still had my Aura so that didn't last long._

 _Then we got up on top to escape from him and Roman. Yang met us up there as well; she looked like she had seen better days but was otherwise okay. Ruby and the Professor joined just a second later. Before we could talk, Blake saw the end of the tunnel coming up far too fast for comfort. Thinking quickly, I created that ice cocoon that Winter showed me way back. I remember feeling the train hit the wall and then…_

 _Yeah, it was definitely the train that did this._

It was always trains. White Fang stole Dust and tech from SDC trains. Atlas requires trains to get across the city, and they always used to shake and make those ungodly screeches. Father would spend all evening making model trains, ignoring her and Winter and their mother. And now she had been nearly done in by one. When Weiss inherited the SDC, she decided she would make it her life goal to eradicate all trains forever.

 _Dust-damned trains..._

Now Weiss had a dilemma. She'd had her eyes closed this whole time, not daring to look and see what that stupid train ( _trains!)_ had caused. She could feel some of the pain subsiding ( _barely_ ) and her hearing was starting to slowly return. She heard some car alarms, something crumbling nearby her, some strange growls, etc. It was a cacophony of noises really, and the heiress strained to make out what was happening. She heard gunshots at random intervals and some roars that sounded suspiciously like Grimm. Suddenly she heard a yell of rage that sounded suspiciously like-

"RUBY!"

Weiss' eyes shot opened as she jolted to a sitting position. She immediately regretted that choice, given the immense surge of agony that ripped through her. She felt a light trickle of blood coming down from her forehead, just over her left eye. The wound had most likely caused her unconsciousness in the first place, though from the feeling it was healing slowly thanks to her Aura, weakened as it was. Silently cursing, the heiress took a quick stock of her surroundings. There was a giant hole in the ground across the courtyard in front of her. The hole was surrounded by train cabs and various creatures of Grimm were stumbling out. _So that must be the breach the White Fang were aiming for. Bloody terrorists really did a number here…_

Weiss noticed the Grimm seemed to be congregating in the center of the courtyard, though there appeared to be some kind of opening in the very middle. She couldn't really make out what was going on in there, but briefly she spotted a flash of red and silver, followed by half a Beowolf flying into the air. Quickly looking around again, she noticed the streets leading into the courtyard had been blocked off. The automated city defenses had raised four-story steel walls from the roads, completely caging the beasts into this square.

Well, almost completely, as Weiss turned around to see the street entrance directly behind her. It appeared the engine cab of the train ( _Trains!_ ) had flown across the courtyard and landed on said street. That kind of explained how she had flown so far, but that was far from the worst of it. The stupid train ( _TRAINS!_ ) had somehow managed to land perfectly on the wall-raising system, jamming it and preventing the seal from being completed. If the Grimm stopped doing whatever the hell they were doing in the central area, they would have free reign to get into Vale proper. The chaos of such a situation was terrifying. Luckily, she saw a Bullhead marked with the Atlesian army logo flying towards her at high speed. _Perfect, all they have to do is drop those combat drones in here and those Grimm will be short work. Then I can go home and work on that anti-train plan…._

The sound of an immense cannon, the streaking of a bright blue light, and the explosion of her salvation quickly brought the heiress' dreams to an abrupt and horrifying halt.

The wreckage plummeted down, rebounding off of a 4 story shop and crashing to the street with an ear-piercing screech. Weiss gaped dumbly at the carnage in front of her before whirling around to find the source of the light. Looking at the top of a multi-story apartment building to her left, she saw what appeared to be a huge Dust cannon emplacement with an SDC logo on its side, each with a gunner and a guard dressed in conspicuous black and white. In fact, Weiss saw a similar emplacements on each building of the courtyard, all trained outward and manned by the same White Fang grunts. _Where the hell did they get those cannons? How long have they been planning this? What the damn Dust is going on here?_

Her eye's widened in terror when she realized one of the White Fang guards to the right of her position had seen her. The grunt quickly picked up some kind of scoped rifle and began to take aim at her. Weiss tried to get up and run, but she could barely twitch her legs, her lower back erupting in fiery torment each time. All she could do was weakly raise her arms to try and protect herself while dragging herself away. She knew that, even if her remaining Aura could probably stop one bullet, the next one would do the job.

She saw the muzzle of the rifle flash just before her vision was suddenly interrupted by a bright red cape. Weiss heard the sound of the bullet striking metal, only to be followed by a much louder and closer gunshot. The cape fluttered out of the heiress' vision, revealing a black and red combat skirt fluttering in the wind. Beyond that, two small hands gripped an enormous gun-scythe, smoke lightly trailing from the barrel. Weiss glanced upward just as the wielder spun around, the heiress' eyes coming to rest on the face of her leader, Ruby Rose.

Ruby's hood was up, covering her hair and forehead, her bangs flitting out just under the edge. There was a line of dried blood coming from her nose, and the leader's right cheek seemed to have a light cut on it. She was panting slightly, and her normally zipped up collar had somehow come undone, leaving her neck and collarbone exposed. Her top had some rips around the chest and stomach, recently healed wounds showing underneath. Her leggings were in a worse state, with barely anything left. Her boots were blackened, likely from Grimm blood (it had happened before).

Weiss, however, noticed little of this. Instead, time seemed to stand still as she gazed into Ruby's eyes. She had expected to see bright silver irises swirling at her just like always. Maybe there would be tears, maybe happiness, maybe even hardened determination. Ruby had always been very expressive with her looks, those puppy-dog eyes absolutely demolishing any resistance. The heiress sometimes even found comfort in those silver globes, their childlike innocence reminding her of simpler times.

What greeted her instead was a hollow, dead grey. Her leader had a vacant expression and seemed to be staring directly through Weiss. It was starting to freak her out, Ruby was never like this. There was no comfort in these eyes. "R-Ruby?" Weiss stammered slowly. The leader just continued to stare emptily into the space between them, her hood rustling in the wind. "Ruby, stop, your scaring me…" Ruby's head tilted to the left slightly, as if sizing the heiress up. "Ruby, stop right now!" Still no response. Just that vacant, endless stare of dead grey.

"RUBY!" Weiss screamed as loud as she could.

The crimson leader blinked suddenly and started. When her eyes reopened Weiss saw the familiar molten silver once again. Ruby took a sharp breath and then spoke "Weiss? Weiss! OhthankgodyouwokeupIwassoworriedyouwerethelastoneandyouwerebleedingandIthoughtyouweredeadand…" Ruby trailed off for a few seconds. Normally the heiress would have been annoyed by the sudden onslaught of words, but for now she was just glad her Ruby was back.

The moment didn't last though, as there was a sudden roar that shattered the brief peace. Jerking to the left, Weiss looked on in horror as a dozen or so Beowolves came charging at them. Turning back to her leader, she noticed Ruby looking at the oncoming enemies as well. Weiss felt her breath catch; Ruby's eyes had returned to that same deathly grey. "Stay here, don't move" she heard the leader mutter. Before Weiss could say anything in response, Ruby dashed from her sight, leaving only a gust of wind and a few rose petals in her wake. Weiss went to watch the combat, but something cause her eye first. Hanging from the top of the building was the White Fang grunt who had tried to shoot her. At first she thought Ruby had struck him unconscious with her return shot. Squinting, however, she saw that where the back of the Faunus' head should have been, there was only a gaping red hole, red blood spurting from it at regular intervals. There was no doubt; Ruby's shot had killed him.

Weiss felt bile rise in her throat. Her leader had killed someone, in cold blood, with those **eyes**. Weiss shook her head; it must have been a mistake, there was no way Ruby would ever willingly kill. She was too kind, too innocent, to do something so cruel. The grunt must have ducked into the shot in error or something. Yeah, it was the fault of the filthy terrorist, not her Ruby. _Wait, my Ruby? Why did I think that? It's not like she's mine or anything. I mean she's my partner…and my closest friend…and I feel like don't know what I would do without her some days…ugh, no, not right now, we'll deal with that later._

 _But Ruby didn't seem to react or anything. She would have said_ _ **something**_ _if she had missed. He couldn't have dodged either, Ruby never shifted her scythe after aiming and there's no way he could move faster than Ruby's bullets without an Aura and semblance. He definitely didn't have an Aura though, if he did then that shot wouldn't have killed. If she didn't say anything, and he couldn't have dodged, then that means it was an intentional shot. Ruby meant to kill him. Ruby meant to kill him. OH OUM RUBY MEANT-_

Weiss forcibly tore her gaze away from the dead Faunus, ending the downward spiral of her thoughts. She forcibly convinced herself that Ruby wasn't a killer as she attempted to track the crimson reaper. This was harder said than done, as her partner was moving at a pace she had never seen before. Ruby was a quite literally a blur, and every Grimm said blur passed by found itself missing limbs, organs, or was just plain outright dead. At first Weiss thought Ruby was going to force the whole black horde back into the breach alone, but after a few more moments she realized that the Grimm were gaining ground ever so slowly. Eventually, they would reach the empty road behind her and spill out to terrorize the city of Vale.

Weiss knew she had to do something. It was her duty as a Huntress (in-training, but still) and Ruby's partner to protect those who could not protect themselves. She couldn't even stand though, relegated to watching the vicious combat unfold in front of her. Searching frantically for some answer, some edge that she could use, her gaze caught once again on the accursed train engine behind her. The heiress knew she was not going to be moving that hulking collection of scrap of metal anytime soon. If she was at full power, she could possibly summon a massive repulsion glyph to shift it out of the way. As it stood though, she barely had the Aura left to create some regular ones and stay conscious.

The heiress then caught sight of a silver glint on the underside of the train engine. Looking closer, she saw her rapier, Myrtenaster, was impaled in some kind of large fuel tank. Weiss dragged her self along the ground, wincing in pain, trying to get close enough to the blade to grab hold. After an agonizing minute, she was close enough to reach the blade. Quickly grabbing it, Weiss yanked and was rewarded with the freedom of her weapon. At the very least now she could fight, though not being able to stand was a serious detriment to her fighting abilities. Glancing once more at the tank, she noticed a trickle of dark blue Dust falling to the ground.

Weiss' brilliant mind suddenly shifted into full gear. Vehicles often used condensed Ice Dust in small quantities to assist in cooling internal systems and to lubricate brakes. A train would have a much more that a small amount to keep it running smoothly, and it appeared this train stored its reserves in the tank here. Furthermore, since the White Fang had obviously not been too keen on applying said brakes, it appeared this tank was still almost entirely full. Weiss estimated there were close to 30-40 gallons of condensed Ice Dust sitting there.

If Weiss Schnee knew anything, it was how to use Dust to its maximum effect. She could work wonders with just a few vials of the stuff. Having straight up gallons of her preferred element meant that she had a…assload of options, for lack of better words. Or she would, if she still had all her Aura. As it stood, she was probably had one big move left in her, if only just barely. And Weiss new exactly which one to use.

"RUBY, GLACIER!" She yelled at the reaper as she went to cut at the tank. Ruby never stopped moving, but the heiress caught a brief pause as the reaper flitted across her vision. _One means yes, two means no…yep, she's on board_. It took Weiss more slices than she would have liked to open the metal, her weakened state certainly not helping. Eventually though she had more than enough of the deep blue Dust at her side, ready for usage.

Pointing Myrtenaster towards the street entrance to the courtyard ahead, Weiss focused and called upon her Semblance. Eight glyphs appeared in two half circles at the opening, one just ahead of the other. The heiress felt a new wave of pain flow through her; her Aura was running on fumes by this point. She felt like she could pass out at a moments noticed, but her resolve to protect Ruby held her steady. Slowly and with great effort, Weiss began to infuse her remaining Aura into the ever-growing pile of Ice Dust next to her. Once it was empowered, she focused on merging it with her glyphs. It was a grueling process, made worse by her lack of Aura. Each gallon felt as though she was pulling a truck with her bare hands, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. Slowly, the glyphs changed from white to a baby blue, deepening in color with each moment. Eventually they reached a deep ocean blue, signaling that the next phase was ready.

"Ruby, phase 2!" she called as she steadied herself. Within half a second the crimson reaper was at her side, Crescent Rose shifted to its rifle mode. Almost instantly Ruby began firing, intent on keeping the oncoming horde at bay. Weiss watched in awe while attempting to gather the very last dregs of her Aura to activate the glyphs. She had seen her leader fire rapidly many times, but never with this much speed. It reminded her of an auto-turret, watching Ruby fire twenty-five shots at twenty-five separate targets, each change in aim accompanied by a few errant rose petals. Before the tenth bullet casing had even hit the ground, the crimson leader had loaded a new magazine and resumed her rapid fire assault. It was mesmerizing, the beauty and precision of her actions wasting nothing. Tearing her view away, Weiss finally gathered the remaining Aura she needed.

"Now!" Ruby stopped firing the second Weiss released her energy. All eight glyphs activated simultaneously, pointing forward and generating a massive concave wall of ice nearly 10 yards thick and 4 stories tall. The new barricade spiked outwards toward towards the courtyard, completing the seal and trapping the Grimm within.

Weiss sighed in relief as her task was complete. Glancing at her scroll for the first time since waking, she noticed only the barest sliver of red remaining for her Aura. One more second, one small hit, and she would be out cold with a broken Aura. Ruby's was sitting at about 15%, just starting into the danger zone. "Well, that worked better that I could have possibly hoped for. Can you help me up Ruby, I've been having trouble standing on my own for some reason. We have to get out of here and – RUBY!"

Weiss' speech was rudely interrupted by her leader abruptly heaving her off the ground. She was being held in Ruby's arms bridal-style, a rather embarrassing position to say the least. Right as she was about to screech at Ruby to put her down she felt them take a step forward. In the next instant the world around her blurred, the force of the sudden forward motion ripping the air from her lungs. They moved for only a second or two before coming to a halting stop, Weiss nearly flying out her leader's arms. She began heaving, her body desperate to get more air after its brief and abrupt denial.

"Oh Dust, Weiss I'm so sorry! I was so focused on getting us out of there that I forgot to warn you. Are you okay? I know the speed isn't for everyone, I didn't mean to hurt you…" Ruby began to ramble as Weiss struggled to compose herself. Panting heavily, she looked around to see them on a sidewalk next to some kind of corner store. Immediately in front of her and Ruby was a Vale PD van, its back doors wide open. Inside she caught sight of a poorly bandaged Blake and Yang lying unconscious on the floor, Dr. Oobleck passed out on a seat near the front. To the left of the van were two Vale police officers walking towards them. Across the street she noticed a few other Vale PD vehicles attempting to set up an impromptu barricade of sorts.

"Ruby…its fine…I'm okay...what's going on?" Weiss forced out, trying to get her breathing under control.

"Oh, yeah, these guys are with the police! They're going to the hospital with the injured." Ruby said cheerfully as she lowered the heiress into the van gently, propping her up in a sitting position.

"Good, I could use some ridiculously strong painkillers and the world's biggest nap right now." Weiss mused while glancing over at the BY pair. "Are they going to be alright?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, they'll be okay. Burnie and Geoff here fixed 'em up with what they had. Once their Auras kick in they'll be better in no time!" Ruby nodded her head towards to two officers who grumbled in reply.

Weiss sighed again in relief, then looked back at her leader. For the first time, the heiress truly saw how tired Ruby was. The crimson girl was leaning on the van door, panting dryly. Her legs and arms seem to be shaking slightly, and there were a few new cuts on her clothing, some of the wounds actively knitting themselves. Weiss tried to shift herself to make room for Ruby, but without the use of her legs she was only able to shuffle a few inches in. "Well, what are you waiting for you dolt? Get in so we can get the hell out of here"

Ruby turned to look at her, the heiress noticing a brief look of surprise flitter through her face before being replaced by a said smile. "Uhh, yeah, about that…"

"Ruby…"

"See, someone's still gotta seal that breach before more Grimm get in. As cool as the Glacier maneuver is, it's not going to hold those monsters in forever…" As if to prove her point, a sudden and ominous cracking sound reverberated through street. "Oh no, that's not good. Anyways, I got some of the officers here to lend me a bunch of the earth Dust they brought. I figured I would charge it with Aura, throw it in the hold, and shoot it or something. Hopefully it'll be enough to at least seal it temporarily.

"Ruby no…" Weiss could feel a knot in her throat as she realized what was going on.

"Then after that I gotta disable those turret things somehow. Otherwise the Atlas forces and other Hunters won't be able to get close enough to kill all the Grimm and they'll get out. I don't think the police here can stop an entire Grimm horde by themselves." Ruby stated, before turning and looking around the door. "No offense or anything though guys." A faint 'It's cool' was heard in reply.

"Ruby please…you can't…" _If she goes, she'll die! She can't, not when were so close! She can't leave me!_

"After that, I gotta get back to killing Grimm, since the backup won't be there immediately. I'm sure I can keep them busy for long enough. And then…no, wait, that about sums it up actually." The reaper mused, counting her tasks off on three fingers to make sure.

Another crack shook the air, causing them both to tense up slightly. "Dust-damn it, I have to go know. Weiss don't worry, Burnie and Geoff will get to you all to safety." Ruby made to turn and leave, only to be halted by a hand holding hers in a vice-grip.

"Ruby Rose, you stop that this instant! You are going to get in this car and WE are going to all get to safety!" Weiss shouted, feeling tears begin to well up. Ruby turned around and the heiress looked straight into dead grey eyes filled with a resigned sadness. "Stop…STOP…STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT! STOP LOOKING LIKE YOUR LEAVING!" Weiss began to scream and cry, never letting go of Ruby's hand.

"Weiss, I…I can't…I have to-"

"NO, DON'T SAY IT! DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE ME, OR SO HELP ME I'LL…I'LL…" Weiss tried to say something, anything to keep Ruby from walking away, but could only sob incoherently. _I can't let her go. If she leaves, she won't come back. She has to be here, I want her to be here, I NEED her to be here_.

Suddenly, her thoughts and sobs were interrupted by a soft feeling on her lips. Her eyes, closed from the tears, shot open to find Ruby's lips pressed to her own. For a moment, Weiss was lost to the feeling of the crimson girl's passionate kiss, Ruby's arms bringing her into a tight embrace. Weiss could feel so much emotion pouring out from her, so much exhaustion, fear, regret, love. The heiress could only stare in stunned stupor as their kiss finally ended, their hands still tightly entwined.

"Weiss I…I've wanted to do that for SO long, you have no idea. Like, back in the dorm when you said you'd be there for me, and it's only gotten worse. Finally, I can say I've had my first kiss, and with the most beautiful girl on Remnant to boot!" Ruby said as she grinned widely. Weiss could feel herself blushing madly as she steadied herself. A quick look at her partner made her realize that, even though they had just shared such a startlingly intimate moment, Ruby was not going to be staying. A brief flicker of molten silver, of life, passed through her eyes before returning to that damnable grey. "Ruby…don't go…I don't want you to leave me…please..." She croaked out weakly, holding onto the girl's hand as though it would disappear if she let go.

"Weiss, I'm…I'm so, so sorry." Ruby whispered softly as she brought her other hand to Weiss's cheek, caressing it gently as tears fell anew.

"I love you, all of you. Don't ever forget that."

These were the last words the heiress heard before Ruby brought her hand from Weiss' cheek, flicking her in the forehead. Weiss felt the Aura-enhanced impact and saw a shimmer of light blue cross her eyes, realizing with a sudden shock that Ruby had just broken the last of her own Aura. Immediately, her body went limp, refusing to obey the screams of her mind. _Ruby, no, RUBY!_ But the crimson reaper simply placed her hands across her lap, the sad smile leaving her tired face. Ruby turned and said something to the two cops, Weiss unable to hear as her consciousness began to fade. _Ruby please don't go…_ Her partner then turned and closed van's back door, then turned to leave, pulling Crescent Rose behind her. _Ruby…_ Weiss tried to stay awake, but she could see the darkness creeping in on her vision. She barely felt the van start, desperately watching through the back window as the most important person in her life took a runners stance.

Weiss saw beautiful red rose petals falling in the air. Then, nothing at all.

* * *

"RUBY!" Weiss screamed as she shot up, eyes wide and frantic. She was in a white room, with white walls, on a bed with white sheets. She heard the low beep of machinery to her left and felt the slight of an IV tube on her left wrist. A hospital. She was in a hospital. Why was she-

"Weiss, oh my Oum you're alive!"

Turning suddenly to her right to find Blake and Yang sitting at her bedside, staring at her intently. She noted to tight bandaging on the cat Faunus' head and the crutches propped up against the blonde brawler's seat. She nearly started to cry at the realization that her friends were okay and here. Wincing slightly, she propped herself up to a sitting position, noting that her legs seemed to be responding somewhat dully to her brains commands.

"Oh man, I'm so glad you're okay! The doctor said your Aura was busted and that you'd be out for a while, but he was talking about it being like a whole day and a half!" Yang busted out, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"A day and a half? How long was I out for?" Weiss groaned out as she rubbed her face, trying to recall why she was here. She felt a bandage as she passed over her forehead, with a pad of sorts just above her left eye.

"Only about 12 hours or so I think. That's probably a new record for Aura Break recovery or something." Blake stated with a wry grin.

 _Wow, I've been out for that long? What the Dust happened? Why does it feel like someone is missing?_ Weiss thought, trying to collect her thoughts. _We were on the train, and it breached into Vale. Then I woke up and there were Grimm and White Fang. And then…!_ Weiss suddenly gripped her head as memories came flooding back from the previous events. Yang and Blake looked with sudden worry at her reaction. "Hey, Princess, is everything alright?" Yang asked cautiously.

"Guys?" Weiss asked, turning to the two. They noticed the tears in her eyes and the strain in her voice as she spoke,

"Where's Ruby?"

* * *

 **Guys, it's okay...**

 **I FOUND THE CONFETTI!**

 ***fweeeeeeee* (Confetti limply falls to the ground)**

 **...Right, gonna work on timing next...time...ugh.**

 **All in all though, I had a lot of fun writing this. Or as much fun as you can have when you're breaking hearts. George RR Martin fun I suppose.**

 **So yeah, this is not a Oneshot, I totally want to continue this and I totally have an outline for a looong story. I can't promise an update every week though, since my writing process is usually to imagine the ENTIRE chapter as an episode, then write it down, then proofread. So it could be, like, a while between chapters. Mercy pls.**

 **Finally, I'm just gonna lay down a few expectations going forward real quick**

 **1\. No Maidens - Look, I like the concept of Maidens. No seriously, I think its a neat concept and it adds a real element of mythos to an otherwise flat, albeit super tech-savvy, world. That being said, I just don't have it in me to write THAT story. I'll leave the Maidens to the experts at Roosterteeth (that would make an excellent resume addition; expert in magical girls and magical girl subsets).  
** **Besides, by time we get to the Maiden part of the show, VERY few people would be stable enough to be safe with such power.**

 **2\. Whitey-tighty Roses and BEEEEEES - Yeah, so the info blurb up top did not lie, this is a Whiterose/Bumblebee story. But don't mistake this for a happy-go-lucky sort of thing. Will there be happiness? Yep. Will there be sadness and hurt? You bet your tits it will (You have tits, don't worry. If your ripped AF and can't see any, refer to them as stealth tits and move along)! Just like life, love, lust, and heartbreak are not easy. This is only amplified when you live in a world that mixes guns and things. You have been warned...again?**

 **Anyways, I look forward to any reviews, follows, and/or favorites! And I look forward to seeing you next time in...**

 **Chapter 2: Wilting Roses, Gathering Snowflakes**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, okay, I'm reaaaaaaaaaaally sorry that this took so long to write. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you by saying that life or troubles got in the way, 'cause that would make me a liar, and momma didn't raise no liars!**

 **In all seriousness though, the delay in this chapter coming out can more or less be attributed to a mixture of laziness and writer's block in regard to how to proceed in certain sections. Writing is hard man.**

 **With that out of the way, we can at least jump in and enjoy more story time!**

 **Oh right, before we begin, I have been continually unsuccessful in obtaining ownership of RWBY, as it lies solely with Roosterteeth and Monty Oum (foiled once more).**

She said hi - Narration

 _I should say hi_ \- Thought

"Hi!" - Speech

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Wilting Roses and Gathering Snowflakes**

"Where's Ruby?"

That the mood of the room shifted so drastically with a few words was not a good sign to Weiss. Even more worrying were the immediate reactions of her teammates. Blake grimaced, her eyes averted to her right towards her partner. The heiress noted that the bandages on the left side of the Faunus' head twitched slightly, but not her right. Weiss shuffled that thought away as she turned to look at Yang, hoping to find some confident warm look or stupid grin like usual.

She was sorely mistaken. The blonde was looking at her hands, the pair held together limply. Yang seem to have a thousand-yard stare, her gaze boring through the floor. Her lilac eyes, always brimming with such light, seemed so muted and dark, looking almost blue with the shadows of her bangs hanging over her. Speaking of her hair, Weiss had never seen Yang's hair look so lifeless before. The bright, golden locks were slowly turning to a more dull yellow. The blonde's hair, usually moving as if it had a mind of its own, lay limply across her back and shoulders, seeming to almost grab hold of her.

Weiss just then realized how cold the room was. She had heard that hospitals were chilly places, though her lack of experience with them gave her less to work with. That being said, this was an…odd kind of cold. Even under the covers, the heiress could feel the warmth leaving her. Almost as if it was being drawn away. _This is strange, the cold rarely bothers me as a side effect of growing up in Atlas. But this doesn't feel like cold weather, or even just excessive A/C. It's almost like…_

"…she's gonna be okay…"

Weiss was startled out of her thoughts by the sudden mumbled words from Yang. She hadn't even realized that they'd been sitting in silence for nearly a minute. Glancing again at her teammate, she noticed the blonde had started rocking back and forth very slowly. Yang's gaze was still fixed at her hands, refusing to move.

"Oh thank Oum, I was so worried for a-"

"She's gonna be okay. She's definitely gonna be fine. I would never let anything happen to my little sister. I'm her big sister, I'm always gonna protect her. She's gonna be okay…"

Yang continued to mumble, seemingly to no one. Weiss watched as the blonde's rocking started to grow more frantic, her eyes starting to twitch back and forth in a troubled manner. Soon the mumbling became more pronounced, a certain frenzied edge coming out.

"I'm always supposed to keep her safe. But I couldn't. No, I have too. But I didn't, I let her get hurt, I let everyone get hurt because I wasn't strong enough, it's all my fault, I wasn't strong enough, it's all my fault, I wasn't strong enough it's all my fault I wasn't strong enough it's all my fault I wasn't strong enough…"

Yang stopped rocking entirely, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she bent forward slightly, repeating the same two lines over and over. Weiss looked on in horror as her teammate's hair clung even tighter to her frame, the dull yellow darkening so much she could have sworn it was turning a light brown. Even more concerning though was the rapidly dropping room temperature, which had gone from mildly uncomfortable to downright freezing. The heiress' eyes widened when she even noticed a light frost forming on her bed's metal railings.

Blake seemed just as worried as well, reaching to pull the blonde brawler into a comforting embrace. As she touched Yang though, Weiss saw the Faunus flinch back slightly. Instead the raven-haired girl settled for placing her hand on the blonde's armrest, trying to lean closer to her partner. "Yang, it's going to be okay. Ruby's fine, it's not your fault." Blake cooed soothingly.

"I wasn't strong enough it's all my fault…" Weiss could see her breath steaming in front of her.

"Yang you need to stop, the doctor said this wasn't healthy." Blake said in more worried tone now, her shoulders shivering in the cold.

"I wasn't strong enough it's all my fault…" The blonde brawler continued to draw in on herself, her face fully obscured by her ever darkening hair, now a deep brown. The change itself would have been fascinating, had its apparent side effects not been so brutal. Weiss could see the windows frosting over as well, the light of the early morning sun seeming to pass right over her without any of its signature warmth.

"Yang, stop it! You're scaring me!" Blake yelled through chattering teeth. Yang looked up only just slightly. Her face seemed gaunt, cheek bones more pronounced than Weiss remembered. The ends of her hair appeared to be turning a charcoal black, slowly moving towards the roots. Most disturbing of all were her eyes, now a dark and empty blue that almost melded together with the black of the pupil. Seeming to be looking at nothing, Yang began again "It's all my-"

"Ladies, is everything alright in there?"

Everyone's attention immediately jumped to the voice from behind the door to the room, accompanied by single knock. A moment later the door was opened, revealing a tall man in a white lab coat walking in. He had dark, short cut emerald hair and a small grin on his face. That grin immediately dropped to a frown as he started to rub his arms. "Woah, who turned on the A/C? It's absolutely freezing in here!"

Weiss looked back at her suspected culprit, only to find the blonde brawler to be the same as always. Lilac eyes shined under wild gold locks that seemed to point every which way once again. Her face seemed filled out as normal, though not as childish-looking as her younger sister. At the same time, the heiress could feel the temperature rise almost immediately, shifting from brutally cold to…slightly less cold. At least it was better than whatever the Dust was just happening.

"And it's getting warmer, that's good. Seriously though, I understand you're an Atlas native Ms. Schnee but I can guarantee that freezing to death is not optimal for your recovery." The green haired man resumed grinning at the girls, though his shiver was still apparent. Weiss gave him a confused glance, "I'm sorry, you are?"

"Oh right, you wouldn't have known me since you were," the man checked some papers on the clipboard at the end of Weiss's bed, "unconscious. Yes, unconscious for twelve and half hours due to Aura Break. My name is Doctor Verde and I've been in charge of your handling since you came in. Which, by the way, has been excruciatingly uneventful up until now. So thank you for waking up, now I can actually do my job!"

On any other day, Weiss would have scowled and yelled at the man for wasting her time. Given everything that had happened in the last day or so, the heiress simply felt too out of sorts to do anything more than raise an eyebrow at her doctor's odd behavior. "Is everything going to be alright doctor?"

"Figuring that out is the job I'm talking about. So to start, let's begin. First off, congratulations on breaking the local record for Aura Break recovery. How are you feeling? Anything standing out in particular?" Verde asked, pulling out a pen to take notes on the clipboard.

"Well, I expected to be in a lot more pain upon waking, though the soreness is still here. I figure that's more from being tired than anything else." Weiss began, the doctor jotting information down while nodding in agreement. "I do have a bit of a headache though, and it hasn't yet gone away. The bandage feels a bit…constricting." The heiress brought her hand to the bandages and padding on her forehead to clarify.

"Ah yes, you did have a minor concussion, but that will most likely pass once your aura kicks into full gear. As for the other injuries, it'd be best to see for yourself." Verde said while walking over to the head of the bed. He then began to unravel the bandaging slowly until it was removed entirely. Turning around for a moment, Verde handed Weiss a small hand mirror.

The heiress nearly dropped it after taking hold, her body almost succumbing to them immense feeling of exhaustion she had nearly forgotten about with everything that had just happened. Slowly bringing the mirror to bear, her gaze was immediately drawn to the scar on her left eye. The old, vertical wound now had a matching slice crossing horizontally above her eyebrow, forming a cross shape. "Once your Aura kicked in, that was one of the first wounds to heal. It happened so fast that we really didn't have the time to stop it from scarring. I must admit though Ms. Schnee, it is quite a dashing pair of scars. Very fitting for a Huntress!" Verde said.

Putting the mirror down, Weiss could only sigh with dejection. "Just what I need, more blemishes!" Weiss huffed with a scowl. "At least Ruby will like-". The heiress' hand shot to her mouth to stop herself, but she was too late. A sudden chilling gust followed by the quick taps of a crutch accompanied Yang as she fled the room. "Yang, wait!" Blake yelled, reaching after her partner to no avail. The Faunus looked back at the heiress with a pained gaze before rushing out as well, calling out for the blonde brawler with a strained voice.

"Well, that was a thing." Dr. Verde mused out loud. Weiss turned to him with the darkest scowl she could muster. "Hey, don't blame me, I'm completely in the dark on this. Dr. Azul was in charge of them. I have no idea what's going on between those two." He said while waving his hands in a defensive manner.

"I…guess that's alright. I apologize for my rude behavior." Weiss sighed. "Wait, why do we have different doctors? How is that efficient in any way?" The heiress noted with a confused glance."

"Well, thanks to you and your teammates, there was almost nobody hurt, so all 3 on-call doctors were split up between you. Given the differences in conditions, it was the best way to handle it as well." Verde said. "Now, back to the injury review. You mentioned the soreness, which is honestly expected. You had 3 fractured ribs, some lacerations on your chest and arms, and some extensive bruising. Luckily though, your Aura coupled with some regenerative Dust mixes helped clear that up pretty easily. Anything else in particular?" the doctor listed off, glancing ever so briefly at the heiress' legs covered with the sheets.

Weiss reflexively tried to shift her legs, only to find them barely respond once again. What should have been a move to cross her legs instead left them about half an inch from their starting position. "Well, to be honest, I am having some…difficulty with my legs. They're not moving the way I want them to. It's a disconcerting feeling to say the least, they seem to only shift a small distance when they should be going further." the heiress stated with a worried look on her face.

"Yes! That's fantastic news, I totally knew it too!" Dr. Verde responded happily, punching the air slightly in victory. "Fantastic news? Forgive me, but I was under the impression that not be able to move something was not a good sign." Weiss glowered, irritation getting the best of her in the moment.

"Yes, well, when a person has a broken back, being able to move anything is indeed fantastic!"

Weiss looked at the big smile on Verde's face in confusion. _Broken back? What is he…wait, no..._ Her gaze shot back to her legs under the covers. She tried to move them again, but was met with the same response as before. _No…_ The heiress tried harder, but to no avail. _No no no…_ Despite her mental pleas, her limbs refused to respond. Weiss couldn't even feel her toes under the sheets, the numbness coming to her mind. _NoNoNoNoNoNo!_ She tried again and again, but nothing she could do elicited anything more than the smallest of twitches.

"…eiss…Weiss…Weiss, you need to calm down!" The heiress felt a hand grip her shoulder. Willing herself out of her thoughts, she suddenly felt the pounding of her heart, the heaving of her breaths, and the shaking of her hands. _I must have been close to hyperventilating._

"Gave me a scare there miss. Just breath in and out slowly, everything's going to be okay."  
Verde said with as even a tone of voice as possible.

"Okay? Okay!? How is everything going to be okay? How is breaking my back ever supposed to be okay!?" Weiss began to shout, the choking feeling of panic beginning to rise again.

"Like I said before miss, how many people with broken backs do you know that can move again?" Verde said with a small grin. Weiss was taken aback for a moment, searching her mind before realizing how very odd this actually was. "That…I don't…how?" she stuttered out in momentary confusion.

"Honestly? I'm pretty much chalking this up to what we refer to as 'Ridiculous Aura Shenanigans' around here." The doctor gave her a goofy grin, only to be met with a rather unamused scowl. "No, trust me, I'm being completely serious. You go to Beacon right? You know that, for all intents and purposes, an Aura heals wounds that its owner sustains." Weiss nodded, the scowl softening slightly. "Okay, well, the thing is we really don't know **how** it works, only that it does. I mean, when you boil it down Aura is pretty much just breaking the known rules of medical science." The heiress' scowl lifted as she gave a slight nod. "Now the rules behind Aura healing are very…odd. For example, if your arm were to be cut off, your Aura would not grow another one for you. However, if you had your arm with you, it could be reattached with basically no problem, since you Aura would basically just treat it as the nastiest cut." Verde elucidated, while the heiress nodded in understanding.

"Right, now here's the interesting part. As far as we can tell, it has to be **your** arm that's reattached. You can't just stick someone else's arm on you and have it heal, no matter how similar it could be. It can't even be a grown arm, though how those guys in Atlas found a way to test this is beyond me. It has to be your original arm or else the healing simply won't happen." Verde continued. "The running theory at this point is that you Aura somehow takes a snapshot of sorts of your body in a healthy condition and then whenever that condition changes, the Aura expends energy proportional to the severity and fixes it. With your back though, we really weren't sure how this would work, since the lack of nervous system response could have potentially messed with the whole process. Glad to see that this is how it works, apparently."

"Wait, you make it sound like there's never been a case like mine before." Weiss nervously noted, wondering how that could be possible.

"Yes, well, there honestly haven't been that many to cases like yours to begin with. First off, most Hunters and Huntresses with broken backs don't make it to a hospital since…well…" Weiss nodded solemnly, understanding completely. Most Hunters and Huntresses would sustain their injuries on missions, and a broken back would assuredly be followed by death in most scenarios. "Right, and to top it off, you also underwent an Aura breakage while you were, ostensibly, still healing. We weren't sure if you healing would continue or if you Aura might make another 'snapshot' and leave it as is."

Weiss sat still, a million questions running through her mind. "So, now what? How bad was my back? Where do we begin in the process? Why are my legs still so unresponsive if I'm healing? What do I have to do to fix this? What-"

"Woah there miss, one at a time! Starting from the top there, X-ray analysis shows the main source of damage was most likely a heavy impact to the L1-L5 vertebrae of your spine. That's the area where your leg nerves connect to, and the reason for the paralysis was likely caused by damage to the spinal cord in that area. Given the supposed cause of injury being noted as 'Running train at 60+ mph through a solid concrete wall', I believe this is a more than reasonable assumption." Verde stated, motioning towards the lower half of his back.

"Now as far as the unresponsiveness is concerned, we're all still a little bit in the dark on that. We'll never know exactly how badly damaged your spine was as you Aura was able to heal it to some degree before it was broken. In all likelihood, the reconnecting of your nerves is generating some odd signals in your brain, since the human mind was not really designed with reconnecting nerves in…mind." Verde shrugged at the wording, earning a small groan from Weiss. "As for how to fix this issue, I believe that physical therapy, along with the light exertion of Aura to accelerate the healing, will be the most successful path towards recovery. In my professional opinion, I believe that you will return to full control of your legs with little residual issues. The only matter left is the time that will take, and in all honesty there is simply no way to predict that. It will be up to you on how willing you are to move forward." The green-haired doctor gave her a simple smile to emphasize the point.

Weiss took a deep breath, trying to understand and compartmentalize the information she had just received. "Very well, I suppose that this is all relatively good news when you put it in that manner." Verde grinned widely, leading to a small smile of her own. "Will I be staying here then? No offense, but I don't believe extended bedrest would be in line with everything you just advised."

"Oh no, as far as I have been made aware, once you and your team have recuperated enough you will return to Beacon and finish your treatment there. I had some reservations at first, but your headmaster was quite convincing. While I don't exactly feel that a combat school is necessarily wheelchair-friendly, I have to admit that it would definitely be the best place for a person with Aura to undergo the necessary therapy that you will need."

"Ah, well that is a relief, I was worried that I- did you say wheelchair?" Weiss caught herself, eyebrows raising with her question. "Yes, well, you certainly wouldn't be able to move around such a place on your own, and I don't believe carrying you everywhere would be feasible. Just one moment." With that, Verde stepped out of the room for only a minute or so, returning in a timely manner. He was pushing a fairly expensive looking wheelchair with him, if the metal plating and high-performance wheels and tires were anything to go by. "This will be yours for the time being, courtesy of the City of Vale. Lightweight, reinforced steel frame, soft but firm padding, sport wheels and non-marking tires. The whole shebang really, they spared no expense here. It's not electric, I know, but given your situation I believe the physical activity will do you some good. Would you like to try it?" the doctor said, motioning to piece of equipment.

Weiss nodded with consent, then raised her hand to stop him from coming to help. Slowly, she began the process of shifting her body over to edge of the bed. Once she reached the edge and removed her sheets, Dr. Verde brought the wheelchair to rest alongside her. With some effort, the heiress conjured a gravity glyph beneath herself, lifting her body a few inches above the bed. Focusing, she began to move herself over the wheelchair until she was positioned above the equipment. She began to lessen the power of her glyph, lowering herself into the seat. It was going smoothly until she was just an inch or so from completion, when a sudden twinge of pain across her forehead caused her to lose focus. Her glyph faltered, causing her to drop the rest of the way into the seat. She hissed as a sharp pain shot up from her lower back.

"Well, you have a penchant for ignoring the standards don't you miss? Most people don't seat themselves after having only been injured less than a day ago. Now, where would you like to go?" Verde mused with his perpetual grin.

"I am going to see my leader Ruby Rose." Weiss said firmly, head held high despite the slowly subsiding pain she was feeling.

"Ah, well, uh, Miss Schnee, I don't think that would be the best, uh, idea. Stress wouldn't be best for your, ah, condition, and I-" the doctor stuttered, scratching his neck nervously.

"I **AM** going to go see my leader, Dr. Verde." Weiss stated with authority, turning around to give him an icy stare.

"Ah, yes, well, I…very well miss, we'll go to see your teammate. Just a moment, I'll unlock the brakes and I'll-"

"I'll be perfectly fine on my own, thank you very much!" Weiss huffed. The heiress the bent to her left, stretching to reach the brake release. However, a sudden rise of pain caused her to pause, wincing slightly. As she was stuck, the doctor reached down, putting one hand on her shoulder while releasing the brake with the other.

"Miss Schnee, believe me when I say that I understand the position you're in. Independence is something that's difficult to let go of, even if only temporarily. However, you need to understand that it is okay to ask for help when you need it." Verde said with a small smile.

"No, it's not, I can't…" Weiss struggled to find the words she needed. "I have to be strong, or else others will suffer. If I rely on others, it will only hurt them." Her mind returned to the moments before she passed out, watching Ruby leave to protect her and everyone in Vale.

"I am aware of what is happening with your team. I know this is tough to hear, but as you are right now, you cannot help them. The best thing you can do for your friends and teammates is focus on getting better as quickly as possible, that way you can help them as well. And if you want to get better as quickly as possible, then you need to let others help you do so. I know this may be scary to consider, but it is important that you realize. For you to help others, you must let them help you. Do you understand?" the doctor said with a serious look, unlike his usual grins.

Weiss opened and closed her mouth several times, looking for the words she needed to argue back. She realized, however, that for all her pride and strength, the doctor was still right. If she wanted to help Ruby and her team, then she needed to let them help her as well. It was difficult for the heiress to start trusting others in that way, but she knew that today would have to be the first step. "…Very well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you…'assist' me for today. If you would be so kind then, Dr. Verde, and 'assist' me with going to see my leader, it would be greatly appreciated."

Verde once again smiled as he stood up and got behind the wheelchair. With a small push, they started forward, turning as they exited the room. As they traveled the hallways of the hospital Weiss took in the sights. It was very clean and organized, as one would expect of a medical facility. It was also fairly quiet, lending credence to the fact that she and Ruby's actions had prevented a great deal more damage and panic than there could have been. _Well, it would have to have been mostly Ruby, seeing as I only really created that wall of ice. I wonder what she did to prevent so much tragedy. Dust I hope she's okay…_

Outside of greeting a few other medical professionals, the pair did not stop much on their path through the winding corridors. Still, the seemingly short trip took ages for the young heiress, as her mind began to wander back to the still unknown state of her leader. She knew that Ruby wasn't dead, or rather believed with as much firmness as she could manage. However, the evasiveness of Dr. Verde when questioned about it, combined by the previous encounter with Yang and Blake did little to assuage her concerns. When they finally managed to reach her leader's room, Weiss had nearly worked herself into a mental frenzy of anger, distress, and most of all, fear for Ruby. She realized she was breathing rather heavily once again, a light sweat breaking across her brow.

Dr. Verde gave her a concerned look. Weiss forced herself to calm down, physically restricting her breathing to appear normal. She nodded to the doctor, resolve painted across her icy blue eyes. Sighing, the doctor pushed open the door and wheeled her in. "Miss Rose, you have a visitor." Dr. Verde said as they moved past the curtain to the left of the bed.

Weiss didn't know when she had closed her eyes, but the moment they stopped moving, she forced them open. She saw black and crimson hair, shorter than it had seemed earlier due to what appeared to be purposeful cutting. She saw a body covered in bandages, sitting at a slight angle.

"Ru…"

She saw a single, dull gray eye staring back at her, its partner on the right covered in bandages and padding.

"Ruby?"

Weiss saw Ruby Rose and could have sworn she was not there at all.

* * *

 **Are we all still sad? Good, all according to plan!**

 **Are we all slightly less sad than before? Also according to Keikaku (translator's note: Keikaku means plan)!**

 **Honestly, this story is going to have quite a few back and forth's between happiness and misery. C'est la vie, as they might say. Though after the ending of Volume 3, I'm pretty sure I couldn't make a sadder story than Miles and Kerry can (at least not without killing somebody...). Anyways, everybody buckle up, it's going to be a long hiatus and the sky's the limit for the AU shenanigans that only can bring.**

 **Once again, I look forward to any reviews, follows, and/or favorites! And I look forward to seeing you next time in...**

 **Chapter 3: Blossoming Evolution**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I have no words for how late this is. I got super distracted, and I let this story get super backed up. Here's Chapter 3 though, hopefully I can get it together and remember to continue writing.**

 **As always, RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth, not me.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Blossoming Evolution**

The world seemed to stand still for a moment. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. Weiss would have sworn nobody was even breathing at that time. Weiss was unsure where to begin, with so many emotions were running through her mind at once. She could feel anger, fear, sadness, and joy…really just a mess of them.

If Ruby was feeling anything, her face didn't show it. Her visible left eye seemed to be stuck in that dead gray again. Her leader was looking at them, but once again it seemed that her gaze simply passed through the heiress, staring off at something unknown. It was unsettling to say the least.

After a few minutes, Dr. Verde excused himself from the room with an awkward joke and a somewhat forced grin. Now just the two of them, the heiress and the reaper resumed their staring contest. Another few minutes later, Weiss simply could not take it anymore and decided to move closer. As she wheeled her way to Ruby's bedside on the right, she noted that her leader's gaze did not follow her, instead staring at the empty space where she had just been.

 _I don't know what to do. What do I say? How do I even…ugh, this is just great! I make a big fuss about coming to see Ruby and the moment I get here, I freeze up like a little kid._

Weiss began to fidget nervously with her hospital gown. She was torn by a myriad of conflicting emotions, unable to decide on a fitting response for the occasion. Meanwhile, Ruby continued to stare unblinkingly towards the door. The lack of motion, among many other things at the time, was making the heiress very uncomfortable. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen the crimson reaper staying still for this long while still being conscious.

After another minute or so, Weiss began to suspect that Ruby might not even know she was there. That meant that if they were going to talk about what happened, it was going to have to start with herself. _Ugh, I still don't know what I should say. Should I apologize first? Do I say something funny? Is this where asking about the weather is appropriate? What do I do? No, you know what, I just going to say the first thing that comes to mind!_ Taking a deep, steadying breath, Weiss cleared her mind and…

"RUBY ROSE!"

 _Angry yelling…thematically fitting I suppose. Thank god these rooms are reasonably sound-proofed for privacy._

However, the sudden outburst seemed to have the desired effect all the same. The crimsonette yelped loudly as she bounced nearly half a foot off the bed. Blinking wildly, Ruby brought her right hand up to block her face as she frantically scanned the room. Within moments, their gazes met, ice blue looking into shining silver. _Oh thank Oum, she's back to normal. I hate seeing that look…whatever that look is. Why does it worry me so much?_

"Ohmygosh Weiss, when did you get here?" Ruby said, her hand dropping from its protective stance.

"Don't you 'Ohmygosh Weiss' me! I've been here for quite a while, you dolt!" _Okay, we're continuing on the angry train…no, angry car ride. No trains._ "Did you not see me when I came in? Are you blind or something?"

"Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't even notice you get here. I've…got a lot on my mind right now…" Ruby said as her gaze listed off to the side. Weiss saw her left eye start to harden to steel again.

"Oh, so you've just been busy thinking, is that it? Welcome to the party! We've all got a lot on our minds. I've been worried too, but you don't see me blanking out randomly!" Weiss began to yell again, but Ruby still refused to meet her gaze. "Ruby, look at me. I know I sound mad, and I guess I kind of am, but that doesn't change the fact that we need to talk. What happened at the Breach? Are you okay? What was that back at the van?" Weiss could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, but rapidly suppressed it. This was not the time nor the place to be an embarrassed schoolgirl.

Ruby's eye's continued to dim, as if drawn into a memory. Weiss could feel her slipping away and realized she would need to do something drastic (at least by her standards). "Dust-dammit Ruby, I said look at me!" Weiss shouted. At the same time, she leaned forward and grasped the crimsonette's right hand. _I-if I hold her hand, then she'll calm down and we can tal-_

A sudden, guttural shriek nearly knocked Weiss out of her wheelchair as Ruby tore her hand out of the heiress' grip. Weiss stared in shock at the girl in front of her. _Was…was that Ruby? I've never heard her scream like that. She sounded horrified, but of what…_ Weiss looked back and noticed Ruby's eye was once again a dull gray. However, rather than the blank stare the crimsonette had before, this time her face was a rictus of pure terror as she gazed at her hands… _wait, why is there only one?_

Weiss blinked for a moment before her face took on its terrified look. Where Ruby's left hand should have been, there was instead a simple stump wrapped in white. It ended at the halfway point of her forearm, covered in eerily clean bandages. Ruby's good eye was shaking violently, switching between her two limbs at a rapid pace. Weiss went to say something, but before she could get a word out the crimsonette started to mutter into empty air.

"I didn't want to hurt them. They shouldn't have touched me and they wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm not a monsterIdon'twanttobeamonsterI'mahero.I'mso sorry I didn't…want…this…I…wanted…to…be a hero."

 _Oh Dust no, not again, please not Ruby too. She never deserved this, anyone but her. Please…_ But her pleas went unanswered.

Weiss gazed on as the crimsonette began to shift back and forth between her super speed and what appeared to be some form of…super slowdown? At first the heiress thought that Ruby was simply speaking slower for some reason. After closer inspection, Weiss realized that _everything_ nearby her friend _(are we still just friends? Wait, no, now is not the time, I'll deal with that later)_ was randomly changing in speed. The liquid in her IV, the air she was breathing, even the light crossing over Ruby all seemed to be slowing down and speeding up erratically. The heart rate monitor seemed to be affected as well, beeping slower and faster at random, though the numbers didn't seem to be jumping around either. Rather, the heart rate monitor was noting what seemed to be a consistently rising…heart…beat…

Weiss realized with shock that Ruby was likely having some form of a panic attack. The heiress was unsure how this was going to react with whatever was going on here, but she knew that it was unlikely to be good. However, as she once again reached out to try and calm her leader, the tempo changes became fiercer and her movements dangerously erratic. Withdrawing her hand quickly, Weiss tried to come up with something to say to snap Ruby out of this state. To her horror however, she only drew blanks, her mind refusing to cooperate.

Just as she was starting to panic herself, the door to the room slammed open. "Alright what the hell is go-…Aw Dust, not again!" This aggressive voice was accompanied by the presence of tall, dark-skinned woman in a lab coat coming to a stop near the edge of the bed. Her bright red hair was tied into a simple bun at the top and her nearly pink eyes quickly scanned the scene.

Wasting no time, the doctor (Weiss assumed this was a doctor, given the trend in identifying clothing she had seen on her way here) pulled out what appeared to be some kind of pager/radio combo. "Get me nurses Rosado and Violeta in Room 363 stat. We've got a Huntress code 13, make sure to have them bring the one Liter bag of happy juice too." A voice mumbled back through some static. "Yes, I'm sure about the one liter, she's a bloody Huntress so it's not going to work otherwise. Besides, I'm the doctor here, in case you forgot." Another mumbled voice. "Yeah, I hear you 'Practitioner' Amarillo. And once you make M.D., I might actually start caring about your opinions too. Now just do it already!" The doctor nearly shouted the last line, to which the person on the line mumbled a brief line of assent.

Pocketing the communication device, the red-haired woman moved over to Weiss' side of the bed. "Alright lady, I have a job to do, so you're going to have to leave." Weiss just stared at the women, mouth agape. Nobody had ever dared talk to her this way! "Did you hear me, girl? I said move it."

"How dare you! My name is Wei-"

"Yeah, no, I don't care. You could be the second coming of Oum himself, but that doesn't change the fact that I have a job to do and you're in the way. Now you can leave on your own or I can wheel you out myself…forcibly if need be." The vicious stare left no room for argument. Realizing she had nothing to fight back with, Weiss begrudgingly wheeled herself towards the door. "Alright Ms. Rose? Ms. Rose, I need you to look me and take deep breaths. Try to count to 5 while doing it." The heiress pushed herself out to sound of disjointed, raspy counting.

Rolling her wheelchair next to a bench across the hall, Weiss methodically applied the handbrakes, wincing slightly as she stretched. Finally set, the heiress took a quick moment to collect her thoughts and take a deep breath.

Weiss was almost immediately overcome by a sudden wave of emotions. She felt sadness, rage, regret, and heartache all at once. It was taking everything she had to not break down into alternating fits of screaming and sobbing, and honestly, it was starting to not be enough. Weiss could feel everything starting to build up, like a dam ready to burst. She put her face in her hands as she prepared to make a fool of herself in front of everyone in the whole hospital. _That's right, they'll really eat this up in tabloids. 'SDC Heiress Has Mental Breakdown in Hospital!' God it will be everywhere, and I'll have to deal with that, and whatever's going on with Yang and Blake, and figure out how to help Ruby, and fix myself, and it's just too much, I can't, oh Dust I just can't…_

Just before the flood came rushing free though, Weiss felt a hand on her shoulder, accompanied by a warm, familiar presence. With a slight start, the heiress looked up to see Professor Ozpin standing to her left, his cane in his other hand and his coffee mug noticeably absent. "Miss Schnee, I'm glad to see you up and about. Tell me, how are you feeling? Are you doing alright?" Tired, sagely eyes of chestnut brown looked down at her. Weiss could only imagine what the headmaster was going through right now, what with the very recent attack on Vale likely still being resolved. She was honestly surprised he was here at all, what with all work that surely still needed to be done.

"Thank you very much for your concern Professor Ozpin, but I can assure you I'm doing very well, all things considered. Everything is-"Weiss was cut off as two nurses, a woman with long violet hair and a man with short cut pink locks and a bag of milky silver fluid, rushed into Ruby's room. "E-everything is fine! Yes, we're all okay!" As the door closed, the heiress could hear her leader still counting rather loudly, the numbers erratically mixed with sobs. The noise came to an abrupt halt as the door closed, once again leaving the hallway eerily quiet. Weiss glanced at the headmaster and saw that his brow had furrowed considerably, casting a shadow over his eyes.

"Miss Schnee, what is going on?" Weiss could sense something dangerous lurking behind those words.

"N-nothing, we're just recovering is all. Yes, we're all just trying to get better. N-not because we're not okay though, we're definitely going to be alright!" Weiss was trying to be strong, a Schnee was not weak, a Schnee did not break down, and a Schnee did not let others see them at anything but their best.

Ozpin quickly knelt in front of her, placing his cane to the side and bring his other hand to her right shoulder. The shadow over his eye's seemed to have disappeared, replaced instead with an air of fatherly concern. "Miss Schnee…Weiss, it is okay. I'm on your side, I'm here to help. You can trust me. Please, tell me what's going on."

The warmth Weiss felt emanating from the headmaster, the pure kindness, was too much to bear. "…not okay…" she mumbled while looking into her lap.

"Weiss, I-"

"It's not okay, nothing is okay!" The dam broke as tears once again streamed down the heiress' face. "We failed the mission, the White Fang attacked Vale, and we didn't stop them in time! My team is broken, we're all so broken and I don't know what to do! Yang's blaming herself, Blake is pulling away from us again, and I'm crippled! And Ruby," Weiss hiccupped in between sobs, "oh Dust, I couldn't stop her, it's my fault that she's like this! Her hand, her eyes, the distortions, they're all my fault because I couldn't stop her!" Weiss began to sob almost hysterically, recalling the exchange that had occurred between her and the reaper just minutes ago.

"Weiss, it's going to be alright, just take deep breaths. What do you mean it's your fault? What happened to Ruby?" Ozpin spoke softly, giving her shoulders a comforting squeeze.

"I can tell ya what's going on Oz, but I can guarantee you won't like what you hear." Weiss and Ozpin both turned to see the red-haired doctor standing by them. "Doctor Cherry Rojo, at your service. Seriously though, do you really want to know what's going on with little Red in there? It really ain't pretty."

Standing up, Professor Ozpin straightened his neckpiece and coat. "Hello Cherry, it is good to see you again after all this time. How are you and your team doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about us Oz. Me, Azul, and Verde are doing just fine. Verde might be doing less fine after I get my hands on him, but you know how it is with him." Doctor Rojo crossed her arms and jutted her hip out, a small smirk forming on her face.

"Ah, that is wonderful news. I'm glad to see that you all found your passion together." Ozpin gave a kind smile. "Now as for Miss Rose, would you please give a rundown of what's happened?"

The small smirk dropped into a frown as Doctor Rojo's hands went to her hips. "Right, yeah, I can do that. Now, it's not pretty, but keep in mind that most of these are not permanent problems. It's the few permanent things that are going to be an issue. Side note, should she be here for this?" The doctor pointed a thumb off-handedly at Weiss.

"I'm not going ANYWHERE." The heiress growled.

"Yeah, sorry girly, I wasn't talking to you. The grownups are having a talk right now." Weiss could feel a rage-induced aneurism coming on once again. How dare this woman talk down to the heiress of the SDC!

"Cherry, it is alright. Miss Schnee is Miss Rose's partner and has just as much of a right to know what's happening. Surely you can understand." Ozpin calmly related.

Almost immediately, Doctor Rojo's face lost it sharp edge, her eyes suddenly overcome by the familiar haze of nostalgia. Shaking her head, the doctor set herself with a resigned look. "Fine, she can stay, but don't blame me if she doesn't like what she hears. As it stands, I've got bad news, worse news, and the worst news. The good news, in case you're wondering, is that little Red is alive at all. We'll start with the bad news and go down from there, standard hospital procedure and all that." Ozpin nodded slowly for her to continue, while Doctor Rojo brought a hand to scratch her hair.

"Okay, so to start off, when we first got her here, Ruby Rose had an extensive amount of lacerations and bruises, both external and internal. Coupled with a few broken ribs and it looked like the poor thing had been through a meat grinder. Luckily though, her relatively large Aura pool coupled with whatever her bloody Semblance does is letting her recover fairly quickly, with the assistance of regenerative Dust compounds. There's still scarring, in fact there's more scarring than should reasonably be on any 15-16 year old girl's body, but the actual injuries are healing fairly consistently."

"Now, the worse news is, well, much worse. Miss Rose lost her left hand as well as most of her left forearm. I don't have all the details, but from what I've seen it seems consistent with an animal bite, likely Grimm." Weiss felt her grip on her armrest tighten. She noticed Professor Ozpin having a similar response with his cane. "Now, there's also the issue of her right eye. It looks like something tried to claw it out of the socket. The scarring is extra severe there, and the eye itself is well beyond anything that could be healed. What's odd though is that the claw marks don't match up with any Grimm injuries I've seen. Wild as they are, they're still too small and precise for it to be Grimm related. If I had to guess, I'd say it was either a regular animal or perhaps... Well honestly, it was probably a Faunus."

"White Fang..." Ozpin nearly growled, frightening Weiss. Doctor Rojo, to her credit, appeared relatively unfazed.

"Not to point fingers prematurely, but yeah, based on the rumors that would make sense. No mercy with those loonies. Anyways, the silver lining to all of this is that the City of Vale is covering for all of Team RWBY's medical costs, so we have a lot of options to work with!"

The slightest smirk on Professor Ozpin's face told Weiss that this was probably due to him more than the Council. "That is excellent news. What kind of options are we looking into?"

Doctor Rojo grinned. "Well, for the arm, we've definitely got the chance to work with a number prosthetics. We'll probably have to remove the rest of the forearm to get it to work, but once that's done we can really get to work. Since price apparently isn't an issue, I've even been looking into some of the more expensive Atlas models. Their adjustment times are usually pretty ridiculous, but with my Semblance, little Red should have full control within the month." The grin dropped to a neutral look as the doctor shifted on her feet.

"Wait, your Semblance? You're a Huntress?" Weiss questioned.

" _Was_ , technically speaking. I haven't hunted in years, but that doesn't mean my Aura doesn't get a workout running around this place. Semblance-wise, I can affect neural impulses in anything with a brain. Since the hardest part of getting a prosthetic is getting the brain used to it, I can help a ton by simply assisting the brain with acclimating. No worries though, there wouldn't be any side effects unless I was really trying to hurt her…which I can't and won't, being her doctor and all."

"Now, the eye is going to be a bit more difficult. We haven't really been able to run any tests to determine how bad it really is, but in my professional medical opinion, she's going to be pretty much blind on that side for the rest of her life. There is the option of getting a cybernetic replacement, but eyes are much more complex that a limb. She probably won't have the same quality of vision on her right side, and it will be VERY noticeable, both to little Red and everyone around her. I've heard stories of people getting rid of the cybernetics entirely because they hate the stare more than anything else. Still, once little Red is mentally stable enough, we can have that talk with her and see how she feels about the whole thing."

"I'm sure she will be alright, Miss Rose has simply been through a very difficult day. I am sure she will be back to her usual self in no time." Professor Ozpin said, more to Weiss than anyone else. The heiress had to admit those words calmed her nerves somewhat.

"…Wait, do you really not know?" the doctor had a confused and slightly upset look which made Weiss' breath catch once again.

"Pardon me, Cherry, but I don't know to what you're referring."

A much dourer look took over Doctor Rojo's face. "Well, that actually explains quite a bit. For a while there I thought you might have been off your rocker or something. Doesn't really solve the problem, but still, good to know you aren't doing this to little Red on purpose."

"…Cherry, what are you implying?"

The doctor grimaced as one of her hands went to scratch the back of her neck. "Okay, just to start off, I want to let you know that I trust your judgement Oz. We all do, especially after everything you've done for my team and this hospital. That being said, I don't think it was a wise idea letting little Red ever try to be a Huntress." Weiss felt her jaw slacken at this statement. Ruby was the most Huntress-like person she had ever met. Who in their right mind would deny her what the reaper was best at?

"When she woke up after getting here, she had a…situation like just know. It was much worse that time, since her Semblance worsened a few injuries and damaged most of the equipment in her room. After some fairly heavy sedation, I asked Azul to do her empathy thing and see what's going on. That's her Semblance by the way, lets Azul read emotions and concepts from another being's mind. Not perfect mind reading, but it gets the job done." Doctor Rojo related slowly, answering Weiss' question before she could answer it. "Now, this isn't the final diagnosis, since Azul said she wants to run more tests, but the current results are not good."

Doctor Rojo brought a clipboard out from somewhere in her lab coat before continuing. "Based on what Azul saw, Ruby Rose is currently being diagnosed with separation anxiety, attachment disorder, anger management issues, hero syndrome, PTSD…the list goes on, but you get the general idea."

"I'm sorry Cherry, but I don't quite follow. Miss Rose's psychological evaluations at Signal and Beacon did not show any signs of what you are referencing. Furthermore, while I agree that what happened at the Breach was terrible, those events do not correlate with the issues you're raising." Weiss looked at him in confusion. "What happened at the Breach? I'm only aware of everything up to passing out?"

"We'll discuss that in a moment, Weiss, as soon as we're done here." The heiress did not like the sad look in the headmaster's eyes.

"Oz, you're right, just so you know." Ozpin turned back to Doctor Rojo with a hint of confusion in his otherwise stoic gaze. "I saw the video too, and while I can agree that what little Red went through was terrible, it shouldn't be giving her every mental condition under the shattered moon."

"So then this must be a mistake, right? Ruby must be okay?" Weiss asked with hope in her voice. Ozpin still stood relatively impassively, a tight grip on his cane in both hands.

"…Oz, I'm sorry, but little Red's going through Bloody Evolution."

*CRACK*

The sudden noise made startled both Weiss and Doctor Rojo. Looking to the source, they saw Professor Ozpin holding the grip of his cane in his right hand, the rest of in firmly lodged into the tiles underneath. For only a second, the headmaster's face was a contorted into a frightening visage of rage. The whole hall seemed to stand completely still for a moment, as if nothing dared to move. Just as soon as the moment came, however, it passed. Professor Ozpin's face once again settled into a neutral gaze, though Weiss could still see the barest hint of emotion in his chestnut eyes.

"Ah, I do apologize Cherry, I lost myself for a moment and damaged your floor. I'll be sure to pay for the repairs as needed." He said as he slowly pulled to cane from the ground.

The doctor recovered from the sudden shock and regained her poise. "Oh yeah, no, that's okay. This is a Huntsman medical ward after all, we've got a budget for broken tiles at the very least. And for what it's worth, Oz, I'm sorry. We'll do everything we can for little Red while she's here."

Oz merely nodded, while Weiss looked on with even greater confusion. "Bloody Evolution? What is that? What's happening to Ruby?"

"Ah, right, you wouldn't know given that it's your first year of real Huntress training and all that. Uhhh, let's see here, well…" Doctor Rojo stammered out in oddly out-of-character tone that worried the heiress.

"Cherry, if you don't mind, I'll take over from here. I'm sure you have many things to do." Professor Ozpin spoke calmly.

"Right, yeah, tons of…things. I'll leave all the 'fun stuff'," she said with air quotes, "to you. And since I know you'll find a way to get back in that room," she turned to Weiss now, "I'm only gonna ask that you keep calm and try not to upset little Red. I really don't want to be knocking her out every couple hours if I can avoid it." Once the heiress nodded her assent, the door to Ruby's room opened as the two nurses exited, likely to attend to some other patient. Doctor Rojo nodded to both of them before continuing after her assistants.

Professor Ozpin and Weiss stood and sat there, respectively, for a few moments of silence, before entering into Ruby's room. The machinery quietly hummed and beeped while the crimsonette lay sleeping on her bed. She looked peaceful in her rest, just as she always had before. "Miss Schnee, I want you to understand that what I'm about to tell you does not leave your team. Is that clear?" There was more authority in his voice that normal, causing the heiress to subconsciously sit up straighter.

"Yes sir, I promise that I will not divulge our discussion, on my honor as a Schnee." The heiress spoke, her right hand coming to rest on her left shoulder in the family salute.

"Very well then, I will start with a question. What is Aura?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at the relatively simple question. "Aura is the manifestation of our soul, a power that shields and protects those who train it."

"Very good, a textbook answer. Now, what is a soul?"

The heiress opened her mouth but paused for a moment. "A soul…is a representation of ourselves…and when physically manifested empowers us. Its presence then leaves behind a Semblance, a mark on the world that is uniquely our own."

"Correct, or at the very least as correct as we are aware of. As you said, the soul is a manifestation of one's self. Now, how much of person do you think is manifested?"

Weiss had no answer for that question at the moment. Despite her thorough studies, she realized that she had never really focused on the soul in particular.

"It is alright Miss Schnee, this not a question most people ask, and even fewer have answered. The answer, so you know, is that people rarely manifest more than a small fraction of who they truly are. There are many reasons for this, but most commonly it is believed that people wish to hide themselves from each other. This creates a mental block that results in the minimal Aura of most humans and Faunus."

"Now, as I'm sure you may be inferring, Hunters and Huntresses are different. Most choose to expose more of themselves in order to attain the power to do things most would find impossible. This choice usually coincides with a goal or purpose that the Hunter or Huntress has chosen for themselves. I'm assuming Dr. Oobleck had asked about why you wished to become a Huntress, correct?"

Weiss nodded, remembering the short conversation and fireside discussion at Mountain Glenn.

"This is an important part of every Huntsman's first mission. It allows the staff to gauge what drives the students and what would be best for them in the future. After all, our purpose as teachers is to make you all the best you can be."

Weiss felt a small smile pull at her lips before she remembered the purpose of this discussion. "I understand what you are saying, Headmaster. I apologize, but I don't understand what this has to do with Ruby."

Professor Ozpin grimaced slightly. "Yes, that is the next part of the discussion unfortunately. As I said, Hunters and Huntresses manifest more of themselves than the average person. However, even in this case, it is still not everything. After all, everyone has something to hide, even if it is from themselves." A sad look came over the headmaster as he glanced to Ruby. "Sometimes, though, fate has a different plan in store. Events beyond our control force us to confront our deepest fears and darkest secrets."

"That is what Bloody Evolution is. When a Huntsman learns who or what they really are."

Weiss let the information sink in for a moment. She understood the concept, sure. The thought of Ruby hiding something seemed so alien to the heiress though. Ruby was honest, caring, and open to a fault. They were her best traits and was one of the reasons the heiress liked her so much. _No, not now, I'm going to deal with that later._

"So what does this mean for Ruby headmaster? What can I do to help?" _There must be something I can do._

Ozpin lightly smiled. "You've already begun, Miss Schnee. After what Miss Rose has gone through, she may feel alone and isolated, even from herself. It will be up to you and your team to be there for your leader and help her through this difficult time."

"…Headmaster, do you know what happened at the Breach?" Weiss asked cautiously.

Ozpin's face once again hardened. "I am aware. Security cameras were able to capture a great deal, though not everything was visible. While I'm sure the four of you will be able to fill in blanks for me, I do have footage of a most of the event."

"…May I see it?"

Ozpin's look went from hard to surprised. "Forgive me, Miss Schnee, but I don't quite understand. Why would you want to see all of that again?"

"As you said before, whatever Ruby went through has brought her to this state. I want to do what I can for her, but without knowing what happened, I'll never be able to truly understand. Besides," Weiss turned to look longingly at the slumbering Reaper, "Ruby sacrificed so much to save me and everyone else. I have to…NEED to be there for her."

Professor Ozpin simply nodded, before taking his own scroll out and quickly hitting a few buttons. Weiss felt her own scroll vibrate, and when she pulled it out she noted a new video file had been received. "Thank you Headmaster." She said with gratitude.

Professor Ozpin merely shook his head. "Do not thank me for this Ms. Schnee, as I have not given you a gift. I have merely increased your burden. I believe, however, that you have the strength to persevere." He stated with an air of seriousness.

Weiss nodded her assent, her face set stoically. Ozpin nodded before a small grin broke out. "Very well then, I will leave you two rest and recover. I will be checking in periodically to make sure your team is doing well. Should any of you require anything, don't hesitate to contact us at Beacon" Weiss nodded, a grin of her own appearing. Ozpin nodded back once more before quietly taking his leave.

With that, it was only the heiress and the reaper left in the room, the silence broken only by the steady beeps of the heart monitor. Weiss felt herself gazing longingly at the still form of her leader as she wheeled over to her bedside. Coming to a stop, Weiss glanced down at her scroll once again. The video file showed on its screen, the play button blinking periodically.

The heiress grew increasingly anxious. She was…afraid. _Why am I afraid? I just told the Headmaster about all my conviction, but the moment I have the chance to do something I freeze up. What is there to worry about even? I'm just watching a video to familiarize myself with Ruby's struggles. There's nothing to fear._

Weiss knew exactly what she was afraid of however. Her gaze drifted to Ruby's eye and missing hand. Meanwhile, her mind wandered to a memory. A still image, really. A broken courtyard, a horde of black and white beasts. A red cloak, a steel scythe. Black gun smoke, a white apartment building.

Red blood trailing down.

Weiss hit the play button.

* * *

 **Well alrighty then, another chapter bites the dust!**

 **To elaborate on the opening, I am once again very sorry that this took way too long to come out. Aside from the general writer's block and laziness I usually experience, I was also distracted by an extensive number of video games taking my time (34 hours of dark souls III to name one). Luckily though I've found a lull in my gaming schedule, so hopefully I can update more regularly. No promises though, given my track record so far.**

 **As a final note, it was mentioned that people were interested in the Bumblebee's of the story. My initial plan was to have two chapters of Weiss perspective before moving to the other half of the team. That being said, I just couldn't reasonably fit everything so far into two chapters without having major wall of text concerns.**

 **Now, however, we have established the Whiterose and are ready to move to some Bumblebees! I look forward to seeing you all next time, and remember to favorite and/or follow should you feel it appropriate.**

 **Next time...**

 **Chapter 4: Cat got your soul?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, writing Blake and Yang is hard. Like, really hard.**

 **Like, stare at the screen for a month trying to figure out how to make anything appear reasonable kind of hard.**

 **Anyways, I'm sorry for the wait while I tried to figure out how to Bumblebee in this context. Onwards to the story!**

 **As always, Roosterteeth owns RWBY and its rights, despite my best Splinter Cell impersonations.**

 **P.S. - If you see any other chapter uploads, it probably means that I'm just doing some quick edits to the other chapters for grammar and stuff.**

She said hi - Narration

 _I should say hi_ \- Thought

"Hi!" - Speech

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Nine Lives**

 _A static screen shows, buzzing erratically._

 _Suddenly, a video comes to life. A courtyard, strewn about with rubble and smoke. A mass of Grimm of all kinds mulled about, with some of the bigger ones wailing on a large spike wall of ice. Something off-screen on top of the building across the courtyard charged and then fired a beam of bright blue into the distance._

 _This scene continued for a few minutes, cracks beginning to show in the glacial blockade. Without warning, a body cloaked in tattered red appeared on top of the ice wall. The girl, framed by a large crimson and black scythe, took a moment to gaze across the courtyard before leaping down. The bright muzzle-flash at the scythe's head accelerated her momentum, causing her to crash feet-first into a King Taijitu's white head. The black one rushed to assault its attacker, only to find a cloud of rose petals instead._

 _The girl became a spiraling red rocket, bouncing from Grimm to Grimm as she made her way across the courtyard. Once she got near the gaping hole on the south side, the small reaper leapt high in the air. As she ascended, she lobbed an oddly shaped brown satchel towards the opening. Spinning around, the girl took aim, her scythe now in the shape of a large rifle. The recoil bounced her back as the round impacted the satchel, rocketing it towards the Breach. The contents within glowed a bright tan color for a brief moment, before dirt and stone erupted in large quantities. The mass of earth crashed into the hole, creating an imperfect yet effective seal and crushing the Grimm still climbing out._

 _The girl fell back towards the ground, Grimm leaping to meet her with maws wide open. At the last possible moment, the crimson-cloaked girl spun, bright steel flashing around her. Monster limbs and heads flew off in response, the reaper sticking a three point landing with her scythe looming ominously behind her. Within a second she was off again, carving through Grimm as she made her way to the building across the courtyard from the camera. Coming to the base of the structure, the girl leapt in a cloud of petals, a shot firing off behind her as she scaled all four stories._

 _The camera shifted upwards, showing a large black and white cannon on the roof of building, a snowflake emblem emblazoned on its side. Two White Fang grunts were seen, one manning the cannon, the other turning in shock as the reaper made her way over the edge. Before the grunt could bring his rifle to bear, the girl blurred over to his back. A quick slam from the blunt side of the scythe sent the terrorist flying a few feet away. The other attempted to exit the cannon to assist, only to be met by two boots to the face. The cannon grunt's body flew into a nearby AC unit, the resulting dent clearly indicating that he was, for lack of better words, incapacitated._

 _The girl reset her stance, briefly glancing back at the first of the grunts she attacked. However, she didn't have long, as the sudden spark on the ground next to her forced the reaper into a combat roll. She came to rest behind the now-unmanned cannon, the telltale flashes of gunfire hitting the area around her._

 _It was difficult to see what the girl was doing, given that the cannon was in between the camera and her. Still, the viewer could clearly see the reaper rummaging around in her cloak. The viewer could also see the first White Fang grunt she had knocked aside getting up, obviously less knocked-out than was previously thought. The Faunus shook his head briefly before setting his sights on the girl in red. He stalked forward, holding his hands forward like claws. At the last possible moment, the grunt leapt towards the girl, just as the gunfire ceased._

 _The reaper never a chance to react, as the moment she turned around the White Fang attacker was on her. They fell behind the cannon, rolling around for a bit in their scuffle. The rolling stopped as the Faunus got the upper hand, managing to secure the top position. Clawed hands came down again and again, beating on the girl mercilessly._

 _Everything changed when trails of red came back with the claws._

 _After the next strike, the grunt was launched back by a high-speed kick. He staggered for a moment and made to charge again. However, he was met with a blur of steel and rose petals, separating his arms from his body. The grunt made to scream, only to have another flash liberate his head as well. It bounced and rolled off the roof edge unceremoniously, the treat causing the Grimm below to gather once again at the base of the building._

 _Up top, the girl stood looking at the now decimated body of her foe. Though the distance made it difficult, the viewer could make out the right side of her face, bloody and ruined by the assault. Furthermore, the girl seemed to be shaking slightly, her head held low._

 _The shaking was cut short by the sparks from a gunshot exploding near her. Once again the girl was a flurry of movement, her scythe transforming into a rifle. Like a machine gun, the girl fired every bullet in her clip, taking only a brief moment to load another one before emptying that as well. The overkill was clearly apparent, if the enemy numbers on her own roof were any indicator. However, the extent of the assault was unknown by this camera angle._

 _The intention was not lost however when the cannon grunt started to move. Before he could even begin to stand, the red and black blur appeared next to him. Another flash of steel preceded the scythe being brought down like a hammer, pinning the grunt to the roof through his chest. The grunt tried to reach back towards the blade in panic, tried to escape. The reaper twisted the blade slowly, causing spurts of blood to fly out. The grunt spasmed in agony, their screams apparent even with no sound. After some time the Faunus finally faded, twitching pathetically once more before ceasing to move._

 _The girl just stared at the body as she twitched erratically._

 _Her moment was shattered however, as the wall of ice suffered another large crack. Quickly, the girl ran to the first cannon, grabbing something round out of another brown satchel. She fiddled for a moment before tossing it onto the cannon. The reaper then took a running leap off of the roof. Another moment later, the cannon exploded, disabling it effectively. Several other off screen explosions took place in rapid succession, the final once shaking the building the camera was attached too._

 _A few seconds later, the red blur leapt in front of the camera, speeding towards the mass of Grimm below. Once again, she cleared her landing space in a swirl of steel and petals, eviscerating the approaching beasts._

 _After only a few moments of fighting it was clear that the girl was on her last legs. Tight swings became wide arcs, graceful footwork became messy stumbles. There were clear openings in her moves, which the Grimm were missing by mere inches. The clean assault soon devolved into a messy brawl, the reaper striking wildly at the closest target in a frantic struggle to stay alive._

 _The end, though somewhat expected, still came abruptly. It was a simple mistake, the girl's left arm swinging outwards as she completed another wide swing to the right. The reaper had turned her head to follow, as her right eye was obviously hindered. In doing so, she never noticed a King Taijutu come shooting through the mob of Grimm, knocking the smaller ones out of the way. The black head struck out into the small clearing she occupied, catching her left arm in its jaws before the girl could react. The battle paused for the briefest of moments as the reaper looked at her new assailant._

 _Even without sound, the viewer could feel the shriek of agony that erupted from the girl. Aura was strong, but it was never meant to deal with something this direct while also being at only partial power. The King Taijutu seemed to notice this as well, and one could swear the monster grinned at the small spurts of blood coming out from between its jaws. Rearing back, the beast bodily dragged the girl into the air. The reaper seemed to scream even louder as she began to slice at its head in a desperate attempt to free herself. The monster soon tired of this, as it whipped its neck. The girl went flying towards the glacial wall, freed from the King Taijutu's maw._

 _A trail of blood from what was left behind spoke of the price of freedom._

 _The reaper collided with the ice blockade, just barely missing the few remaining spikes. A shimmer of crimson flashed across her body, a sign of broken Aura. The girl slid bodily to the ground, collapsing in an unmoving heap. The nearby Grimm, having been drawn back to center of the courtyard, realized their victory was imminent as they charged the now unconscious reaper._

 _Just before the first Beowulf reached her though, a sudden burst of gunfire from the sky issued forth, shredding it and its nearby comrades to pieces. Shadows of airships began to zoom across the courtyard, followed by the descent of countless androids and Huntsman. Just as this new battle began, a stray bullet flew into the camera, causing a burst of static and signifying the end of the struggle._

"Aw, come on, that's lame!" the silver-haired boy declared, tossing his scroll to the side.

"What are you whining about now Merc?" a mint-haired girl strode across the dorm room, coming to a stop next to the boys bed with her hands on her hips. "…Are you seriously watching this again? Really?"

"Uh, yeah Em, it's fun to watch. Or at least, it was until those dumb suits from Atlas showed up. The red-head was almost dead too." Merc shrugged, a smug smirk on his face.

"Oum Merc, you're such a freak. I bet you get off to this crap." Emerald crossed her arms and grimaced.

"Oh yes, Em, please judge from highest of pedestals, oh most virtuous and noble of us all." Merc wailed dramatically, waving his arms about. "After all, it's not like you haven't watched the video more than I have. If anyone has a thing for this stuff, it'd probably be you."

Emerald scowled at the silver-haired assassin even darker. "No, unlike you, I'm actually watching it to see what went wrong. I'm looking into the whole thing since, as you know, the attack wasn't supposed to happen for another few more days. If it wasn't for Torchwick, we would've had Grimm running all the way to Beacon by now. But no, thanks to him and those dumb freaks in the Fang, we're stuck here and the city is feeling safer than ever!"

"Which is exactly as I desire."

The two bickering criminals froze before turning their attention to the dorm room door. Leaning against the door was a woman of midnight black locks. Two ember-colored eyes burned underneath in amusement.

"Miss Cinder, I'm glad to see you have returned!" Emerald said in barely restrained excitement as she bowed deeply. Mercury simply nodded before putting his hands on his hips.

"Yes, I was able to complete my…errands rather easily." Cinder Fall spoke in a sultry voice, sauntering over to the bed. "However, upon my return, I found two of my most trusted subordinates speaking opinions of my plans behind my back…in the middle of enemy territory no less."

The glare Cinder gave shook Emerald to her core, and even caused Mercury to step back in fear.

"I-, I'm sorr-, I apologize ma'am. I promise it will not happen again!" the mint haired thief managed to stutter out, bowing even deeper than before.

The raven-haired mistress took a seat on the bed, her every move designed to entice. Her eyes, burning with an unnatural fire, gleamed with a predator's glare. "See that it does not. I would not want my plans to fall apart before the big finale after all. You wouldn't want to miss it." Cinder grinned, more akin to a pit viper than a person.

"Yeah, so, how do you plan to move forward exactly with all this Atlas-brand 'security' roaming about?" Mercury insinuated, air-quotes and all.

"It is the 'security' I was planning on the most." Cinder returned in motion in kind. "Roman and the White Fang could never take city, no matter what Taurus might boast. However, it is when the people are feeling safe that they are their most vulnerable. Without anything to protect, their 'heroes' will become complacent, and complacency is what we will exploit." Cinder smiled, her face full of evil mirth.

"The Huntsman will pay."

* * *

"It was the break of dawn!"

"Early afternoon."

"The skies were dark with hundreds of Elder Nevermores!"

"There were two regular adults."

"However, once we activated our jetpacks they were easy pickings!"

"We let them come to us."

"And then we beat them all and made a fortune selling Nevermore-feather bed-and-pillow sets!" Nora cheered as she leapt onto the cafeteria bench.

Ren simply shrugged as he sat next to her. "Different dream, same problem."

Blake couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of the orange-headed bomber. Everyone else seemed to laugh as well, which put her at ease. To her left, Yang was laughing uproariously, a sound which made Blake's heart swell with joy. In the past month, there had been few moments when the blonde had truly seemed happy like this. It was good to see something relatively normal for once.

To the Faunus' surprise, even Weiss was giggling as well. The heiress was sitting to her right on the bench, her wheelchair somehow folded to the size of purse and lying next to her. Weiss had made strong progress with therapy in the last month, so much so that she had begun walking on her own for short spaces. However, long distances were still a bit much, and the wheelchair was an ever-present reminder of these difficulties. Regardless of this, the heiress had been more expressive than ever before, laughing and sharing in jokes that she never would have deigned to be a part of before.

Still, it all made sense when Blake remembered who Weiss was trying to fill in for. To the right of the heiress sat their leader, Ruby Rose. The crimsonette was looking down at her for, right hand pushing some greens around with a fork. Unlike everyone else with their near-empty plates, Ruby's meal was mostly untouched. Blake knew it was only a matter of minutes until Weiss got on her case again and forced the leader to eat something. Still, the small grin Ruby had, along with the shining silver in her eye, gave Blake some hope.

As she glanced away, the sudden sound of a spilling liquid dashed those hopes. Turning back, she saw Ruby holding the remains of her milk carton gripped in her left hand. The milk itself still dripped between the metallic black fingers and over the red highlights on the joints. Worst of all, Blake could see Ruby's face change to a completely blank stare, a single dull grey eye taking in the mess she has made over herself and the table before stopping on her now cybernetic left arm. Wordlessly, the crimsonette stood and walked away from the cafeteria with pace far slower than most would have expected.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss yelled out before quickly turning back to Blake. Blake nodded her assent, to which Weiss quickly smiled back. Her face then reverted to a worried frown as the heiress spun around on the bench, swinging her folded wheelchair out. A small burst of aura caused the mechanisms to activate and the wheelchair burst to full-size in front of her. Blake made to assist the heiress, only to be stopped by a small hand. Taking a deep breath, Weiss began to stand up, albeit with great effort. After a short time, the heiress was actually standing, even though her legs looked like planks and her arms seemed like to be doing most of the work. With great care, the heiress then began to turn around, placing the wheelchair directly behind her. Her composure was firm, interrupted by only one or two grunts of effort. Once she had completed the process of turning around, the heiress slowly began to lower herself, wincing as her back bent to accommodate her seating position again. Finally seated in her wheelchair, with only light perspiration across her brow, Weiss glanced to her friends once more before nodding and wheeling herself in the direction her partner went.

Blake could hear the heiress calling after Ruby with her uncovered ear. It was difficult to gauge the distance though, given the lack of its partner on the right. Blake hated going with her ears… _No, just ear, no need to worry about that again_ …uncovered. However, with all that had been happening recently, she had been too distracted to find a solid replacement for her bow, having lost it at the Breach. While she still had amazing hearing thanks to the cat ear left over, only having did sometimes mean that she missed words and sounds she would have otherwise heard before.

Such as the sound of her partner having gotten up and left as well.

Blake came to the sudden realization that she was alone on her side of the table, with Team JNPR looking away awkwardly. "I-I should go, I need to get ready for Goodwitch's class." Blake muttered as she went to stand up.

"Blake, are you doing alright?" Jaune asked as he looked back.

"Yes, we're doing fine, they're all just going through a…rough patch is all." The Faunus stated offhandedly.

"No, uh, I mean, yeah that's great. We were talking about _you_ though. Blake, are _you_ okay?" The rest of Team JNPR looked at her as she paused.

It still took Blake a moment to realize that they actually meant her specifically. To be fair, she really hadn't considered her own wellbeing in the recent month. She'd been too concerned with her team, her partner, her…family. She had realized only recently just how important her team was to her, how close they had become. Ruby, who had lost so much just to keep her safe. Weiss, who had overcome a lifetime of prejudice and hatred just to be friends with her.

Yang.

Blake wasn't naïve. She knew that her feelings for Yang probably extended beyond mere friendship or sisterhood. Yang had spent so much time ensuring that Blake was doing alright, going out of her way keep her safe and protect her from, even if it was self-inflicted. It was impossible not to develop something akin to a crush on the blonde bomber, helped in no small part by her gorgeous looks as well.

All Blake wanted to do was help Yang through her own difficult time. After the Breach, Yang had more or less returned to her old self. However, any time the Breach was mentioned, Yang would clam up and disappear with a speed surprising even the Faunus ninja herself. She would show up hours later and seemingly nothing had changed, but Blake could see it in her eyes. The bags from sleepless nights always seemed a little bit more prominent, her golden hair a tiny bit duller.

Her beautiful lilac eyes, ever so slowly turning blue with the sad look she held.

Blake was torn from her thoughts by a snickering laughter from behind her. Whirling around, she was met with the sight of Team CRDL trying their best not to laugh out loud. CRDL had been insufferable recently, even more so than at the beginning of the year. Blake had honestly thought that the team, and Cardin in particular, had been getting so much better after the encounter in the Forever Fall forest. He was still an ass, but had been much more bearable since then.

Not anymore. Ever since the Breach, it was as though all of Cardin's prejudices and hatreds were proven for him. He was even worse to the Faunus students than before, now that he felt he could prove they were deserving of it. His goons he called teammates followed along the whole time, reveling in any chance they had to make other's lives miserable. The worst part of it all, though, was that there were fewer and fewer people willing to stand up against Cardin's obvious racism and cruel bullying than ever before.

That was the thing that drove Blake to leave the White Fang in the first place. Every time they accomplished something with their missions, the violent nature of their actions forced more and more people against them. This in turn would drive Adam and the Fang to more drastic action, and the cycle would continue. Blake refused to be a part of that anymore, but it seemed that leaving the Fang didn't stop their actions from affecting her all the same.

Scowling, Blake got up, her food tray forgotten in her rush. "I'll see you guys at Glynda's class." She said curtly as she walked to the door.

"Uh, okay, right, see you at class then!" Jaune awkwardly shouted to her as Blake went through the cafeteria doors.

The Faunus knew she had more than enough time before class was starting, but without her team there was little for her to do in the meantime. She resolved to go the library and try to get some reading done, though her literature time had suffered recently with all the stress. Between trying to think of a way to help Yang and dealing with the sudden surge of racist behavior on campus, she had barely had the time to read anything. Even when she could find a solitary moment, it was so hard to concentrate that she would barely make it through even a single chapter. Still, reading was what she knew, and on a day like this she needed a distraction from everything, even if only for a moment. Including the oddly empty hallway she was in, despite the noise of countless people walking around her.

Oh no.

"Hey there kitty, what are you doing all by lonesome out here."

Cardin Winchester and Dove Bronzewing stepped out from the turn in the hallway ahead. Behind her, Blake could hear Russel Thrush and Sky Lark blocking her retreat. If she'd paid attention, she would have obviously noticed the lack of people surrounding her to match the noise she heard. It was a clear sign of Sky's semblance, the ability to generate sounds at will. Coupled with Russel's ability to replicate energy through his Semblance usage and the two were able to simulate an entire busy hallway's worth of noise.

And now she was trapped in said hallway with no exit. There were no doors on the wall to her right, and the windows to her left were specially made to resist breakage. It made sense in a school full of Huntsman-in-training, but now it just made her even more worried. Without an escape she'd be forced to deal with 4 Aura-empowered opponents with no weapon or any backup. Pyrrha might have made it look easy, but Blake was no championship tourney fighter. She just hoped it would be over quick as she glared at smug leader of Team CRDL.

"Aw come on pussycat, don't give me that look. We're just here to talk is all." Blake narrowed her eyes. Six Faunus students in the medical ward in as many days told her that talking wasn't all they were going to do. "I think I'll pass Cardin, I'm a little busy at the moment." Blake heard the two behind her move closer by a few steps.

"Oh no, I think you'll find that we're gonna talk, whether you like it or not." Cardin advanced menacingly, Dove only a step behind him. "After all, we gotta talk about your enrollment here at Beacon and all."

"What are you talking about? My enrollment? What?"

Cardin sighed with a smug grin. "See, that's what I'm talking about. You animals can't even understand common sense." Blake felt her hackles rise at casual tone with which he demeaned her, but he didn't stop to let her rebut. "Now let me see if I can explain this in a way that will make sense to you. Beacon is a school for heroes, the next generations of legends, such as myself." Blake had to actively stop herself from laughing out loud at the thought of anyone calling Cardin a hero.

"Now, see, there lies the problem. This school, once known for its discerning selection, has become rather lazy. So lazy in fact, it allows monsters and terrorists like yourself to freely wander about, causing trouble and generally polluting the image of this fine institution."

"It's called being open-minded, Cardin. You might want to try it sometime." Blake retorted, maintaining her glare. She began to tighten her stance as Winchester and his goons drew closer.

"It's a hazard to my health is what it is. How am I supposed train to be more awesome when I have to spend my precious time making sure I don't get stabbed in the back by some freak with ears or a tail? I thought the higher ups would see some sense after the Breach and kick you mongrels out so the rest of us could do some actual good. But no, for some reason they let you all stay."

Blake could literally feel the hatred burning inside her. It was not a fun feeling. "They can't just kick the Faunus out for being Faunus. Having Faunus traits doesn't make you part of the White Fang."

Somehow, Cardin's shit-eating grin got even wider. "See, that's exactly the problem. I realized they're all a bunch of Faunus-loving idiots up there too. They're so dumb they can't even put two and two together, just like you animals." Cardin stopped only an arm's length away as Blake as she dropped into a defensive stance. "But it's fine."

"After all, if they won't take out trash, I'll just do it for them.'

Suddenly Cardin was swinging for her head, his semblance causing a burst of Aura to fly off his cocked elbow, his fist flying like a bullet from a rifle. Blake dodged back to avoid, her ear twitching as she heard Sky's chop coming. Spinning around, she used her hands to redirect his attack, sending him stumbling into the oncoming Winchester. Right behind him though was a heel kick from Russel flying into her midsection. She tried to activate her semblance for an emergency dodge, but for some reason no clone came forth.

The kick sent her stumbling back towards her other three attackers. Spinning around, she saw Cardin coming with another wide right haymaker. Behind him, she saw Dove simply standing there, his palms pointed towards her and glowing a soft white. _Right, Dove's Semblance is the ability to stop someone from using their powers, like Semblances._ It was then that she realized that she would not be able to dodge Cardin's next hit. She brought her arms up in a weak defense. It did little to stop the rifle-fire punch from sending her off of her feet and into the wall behind. The dented and cracked plaster signified the severity of the hit.

Blake tried to stumble back to her feet, only to be kicked back down by Winchester. Looking up, she saw four sneering faces looming over her, effective trapping her against the wall. "Aw, looks like your luck's all out kitty cat. Don't worry though, I hear cats have nine lives. We'll make sure to test that thoroughly for you." He said, cracking his knuckles.

"You won't get away with this! They'll stop you!" She yelled.

"Oh yeah, who's gonna stop me? The staff can't touch me, Winchester Guns is the only reason Beacon can even afford to arm everybody, and I'm their big ticket. The other freaks like you are too scared to try helping out. Even your teammates are leaving you to rot! You've got nothing 'cause you are nothing, animal," the shit-eating grin came back full force, "and I'm gonna make sure you remember that for the rest of your miserable life."

Blake wanted to retort, to tell him he was wrong. Deep down though, she could feel his cruel words resonating with her. Why should anyone stick their neck out for her? She'd hidden from her own people out of cowardice, so it's not like any of the other Faunus had a reason to worry for her. Even worse, her own team had all but abandoned her. She'd brought so much pain on them from her past with the White Fang, it was no wonder really. She probably deserved this, considering everything she'd done. Blake closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

Its seemed fate had other plans for her though, as the sound of a flurry of punches and kicks forced her eyes back open. She immediately saw that Team CRDL had been forced back, with Cardin as the only one left standing. "What the- Who the hell are you?"

Blake looked directly up. At first she didn't recognize the long, oily black hair that clung to her savior's body or the gaunt cheeks that framed her face. Then it hit her like a metaphorical ton of bricks. "Yang?" The blue eyes that gazed back at her were still alien to her image of the blond brawler, but there was no doubt left in her mind. Only her partner would give her that look of protection, worry and…longing? Blake blinked, positive that she had made that last part up.

"Blondie? What the hell, did you fall into oil tanker or something?" Blake scowled back at him as she stood up, ready to retort. Yang beat her to it.

"Go throw yourself off a cliff before I have to do it for you Winchester." Well, that was certainly a lot darker than the brawler usually went, though Blake had to agree with the sentiment.

"Aw, come on babe, don't be like that. We're just taking out the trash is all. You can help if you want." Cardin winked as Blake tried to recoil away. Yang reached back and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Even with her worrying appearance, Yang's small smile helped calm her nerves. The black-haired brawler turned back to Team CRDL. A moment of silence passed before she did the most Yang thing possible.

She gave them the bird, middle finger and all. "Sorry, it's a personal policy not to associate with assholes like you." Cardin's grin dropped into a growling yell as he jumped forward to attack. He threw a haymaker directly at Yang's face, his semblance firing off at full power, launching his fist with all the power of a cannon.

It stopped dead on the brawler's face and she didn't budge an inch.

Cardin on the other hand shouted in pain as he pulled away. Blake noted the skin on his fist was a bright red before he began another barrage of punches, each one powered through Aura. The result was the same every time, as Yang never once budged. Cardin seemed to be in more pain with each strike, and his Aura was noticeably draining at a much faster rate.

Finally Yang seemed to have enough of him as she jabbed out with her heel, forcing the weakened Winchester back. "What the hell are you, bitch? You're fucking freezing the whole place!" Cardin yelled out. Blake didn't understand what he was talking about until she looked around and noticed the layer of frost lying about, covering the windows and light fixtures. It was odd, she didn't feel unusually cold like before.

Cardin looked back to his goons while holding his bright red hands, probably from the cold Blake presumed. "What the hell are you all looking at? Get her!" The three hesitated for a moment before rushing forward, obviously intent on trying to overwhelm the brawler with numbers. Blake saw a spark come out of Yang's hair.

Then Yang exploded.

A swirling tornado of bright golden-white flames burst forth from the brawler, filling most of the hallway. Team CRDL was sent flying into the windowed wall behind them from the pressure wave that erupted out. Blake tried to shield herself from the flames, only to be surprised at the lack of burning sensation. Opening her eyes, she marveled as the golden fires danced over her skin, the warmth gently caressing her with such care. Looking to the source, Blake saw Yang's eyes burning with a bright red, her face contorted with rage.

Cardin and his team looked appropriately terrified, struggling to back away from the fires that seemed to sear the very hallway itself. "Get the fuck out of here Cardin, before I make you leave…permanently." There was more venom in that last word than Blake had ever heard come from Yang, and the way she looked only reinforced it.

"Fuck, this isn't over bitch!" Cardin's parting words were punctuated by his rush to retreat, the four of them stumbling over each other in their haste.

Yang stared them off until Team CRDL were out of sight, bright golden hair still aflame even as the inferno around her died down. Once they were gone, the blonde brawler whirled to face Blake with a look of immense concern. The Faunus noted the lilac eyes and much calmer blonde mane that her partner had and breathed an internal sigh of relief. "Blake, are you okay? What did they do? Do you need to-"

"I'm fine, nothing a little Aura won't heal. I'm more surprised that you're here. I thought you had left back in the cafeteria hall." Blake managed a small smile, hiding the much larger grin she felt coming on.

"Oh yeah, that." Yang shifted awkwardly while rubbing the back of her neck. "I had some…stuff I had to go work out. But I when I came back everyone was gone except for JNPR. They said you were going off to the library, and I figured I might join ya, you know. I mean, if you even want me around. Then I saw Cardin and his goon squad on you and I kinda saw red." The blonde brawler smirked as she pointed to her eyes, which shifted to red for a moment.

The pun was lost on Blake though, who was more concerned about the statement prior. "Yang, of course I'd want you to come with me! Why would you think I wouldn't?" The Faunus put a reassuring hand on her partner's shoulder.

"Well, I mean, I know I haven't been the most fun to be around recently. With everything that's been going on, and everything R-Ruby's been going through," the difficulty the brawler had when bringing up her sister was not lost on Blake, "I just…I just thought you wouldn't want to be around a big old spoilsport like me…"

Blake brought her other hand to firmly grip Yang's other shoulder. "Well you can put those thoughts away. I'll always want you around Yang. Besides, I know going through things like Bloody Evolution is difficult, and I want to be here for you as much as you've been here for me." Blake fought to keep a blush down, this was a serious moment after all.

"Huh? Bloody what-now?" Yang tilted her head quizzically.

Blake immediately dropped to a worried frown. "…Yes, you know, that thing that Ozpin talked to us about? About Huntsman changing?" The Faunus spoke slowly, trying to jog her partner's memory.

Yang blinked for a few seconds before it seemed to click. "Oh yeah, that!" Blake went to breathe a sigh of relief. "Yeah, that's not an issue at all. I've already been through that."

Her sigh caught in her throat. "…What?" Blake's question was equal parts confusion and desperation. She'd spent a whole month psyching herself up for this eventual talk, but never once had she thought it would be like this.

"Yeah, that happened a long time ago. I already know full well what kind of Huntress I am." Yang spoke like it was so simple, like the last month of heartbreak was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Yang, what are you trying to say? What do you mean you already know?" Blake was grasping at straws now. When had could Yang have gone through Bloody Evolution before?

Yang only smiled sadly, her eyes dimming a bit. "Yeah, I realized this back when I was a kid. I…I'm greedy Blake. I'm greed incarnate."

* * *

 **Huzzah, more chapters, more fun!**

 **Like I said at the start, writing for Blake and Yang was...well, really hard. I can't really say why, but it just didn't click as well as the RW pair of the team. With any luck though, I'll have gotten the style nailed down for future chapters so I don't suffer from Writer's Mountain (like Writer's Block, but much worse).**

 **Now before I let everyone go, I do have a quick little survey to do. I started writing this story before Salem was a thing. Now, my original story involved making Cinder the big bad, as everyone could probably guess. However, I think I have found a way to include the Wicked Witch of the Grimm without involving Maidens, as a stated before. I won't be doing a redemption story for Cinder though, mostly because I don't want to (definitely still not upset about Pyrrha, no not at all). Let me know in the comments if you would like Salem or not and we can go from there. Luckily, we've got a while to go before we rationally have to worry about the impact, but better to get it out of the way sooner rather than later.**

 **Side note, making semblances for Team CRDL was actually a lot of fun. I tried to base them on the birds, but Cardin's didn't work so I went for the rifle instead.**

 **Remember to favorite, follow, and comment, and I look forward to seeing you all in:**

 **Chapter 5: Feline Instincts**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm alive! Despite dropping what feels like a lifetime's worth of...time...into work, various video games, and reading a veritable truckload of RWBY fanfiction, I have returned! Like an Ursa awaking from hibernation, I have crawled out of my cave to drop a steaming pile of Rebuilding a Rose for all of you faithful readers. Enjoy!**

 **Something, Something, RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth, cry me a river.**

She said hi - Narration

 _I should say hi_ \- Thought

"Hi!" - Speech

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Fighting One's Instincts**

Blake chewed her thumbnail as she walked into the Combat Class hall. She hated the feeling of defeat she had, but could not for the life of her figure out what to do about it. After Yang's reveal to her in the hallway she had tried to reason back. It made no sense, how could someone as caring and giving as Yang Xiao Long ever think that she was greedy? But no matter what she said Yang wouldn't listen. Instead, the blonde would look at her with a sad smile and stonewall any response. After a while Blake had said she needed to get to class and just left.

 _That's what I do after all. I leave when things get too hard. God I'm pathetic, I should have stayed. I should have fought more. I'm letting Yang down again by refusing to help her. But how? How do I help her when I can't even prove she's wrong?_

Blake continued to fight with her own doubts as she made her way into the Combat Class Auditorium. Functioning as both a large classroom and dueling arena, it was clearly designed with the content in mind. The lower floor had a south entrance from the main hall, as well as an opening on the north side leading to the locker rooms. Large holographic screens could be projected on the on the walls, showing class material, videos, and other data when sparring was in session. The upper area consisted of two sets of arcing seating, each not quite a complete half circle. The benches did not have any desks as "notes have no place on the battlefield", of which Professor Goodwitch was oft to say. That didn't stop some people from taking them anyways (Weiss).

Speaking of other people, Blake realized as she sat down that she was the only person in the entire room. Checking her scroll, the Faunus realized that she was nearly 25 minutes early to class. She'd been so quick to get away from her troubles with Yang that she hadn't even thought to actually check the time. Luckily for her, it wasn't long until other students started to show up as well. Nobody wanted to be late to class with the strictest instructor of Beacon after all.

After only a short while, Team JNPR showed up, sitting to her far left as always. There wasn't exactly assigned seating, but after nearly an entire year people had more or less established where they would sit. As they got settled, Jaune and Pyrrha gave her a concerned look. Blake gave them what she hoped was her best "everything's fine" smile. Whatever it actually came out as pleased them enough as the two did not say anything further.

Soon afterwards, Ruby and Weiss also appeared. Despite there being no ramps for her wheelchair, the heiress insisted on sitting with her team. Weiss stood as she folded the device with another burst of Aura before beginning to walk the few steps to their seating area. Ruby followed behind, not as close as to be constantly supporting her partner but clearly within the distance to help if something went wrong. As they got closer and began to sit next to her, Blake noticed the small silver tinge to Ruby's eye. She still looked distant, the way she always got whenever an "incident" like today's occurred, but was clearly doing better. Whatever Weiss had done was working to some degree as she slowly dragged the reaper out of her own head.

 _Ruby's so lucky to have someone like Weiss to help her. If it was me I'd be stuck and have no idea what to do. Just like with Yang…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the blonde brawler suddenly sitting right next to her. Blake had no idea how her partner had managed to get into the classroom and sit beside her without the Faunus noticing. Either Yang was practicing her stealthy movements quite a bit or Blake was just far too distracted to notice. _Probably the latter, seeing as I can't even seem to focus long enough to help anyone._

"Hey Blakey, you doing alright?"

Blake's eyebrows shot up as she looked at Yang, who had a big grin on her face. She was shocked that Yang would even care how she was doing after she had left the blonde in the hallway alone. The Faunus didn't know whether to smile with joy knowing that Yang still cared or frown at yet another reminder of her own ineptitude. She gave what she thought would be a good middle ground, a neutral look with a slight grin of her own. Yang's face dropped to a sad smile, but the brawler didn't press it any further.

The rest of the students filed in as time passed on. Blake visibly tensed as she saw Team CRDL take their seats in the opposite stands, Yang having a similar reaction next to her. Cardin just smugly grinned at them as he sat down, clearly planning something. Blake scowled, to which he simply flipped them off, his team following suit. Before Blake or Yang could respond however, Professor Goodwitch walked into the lower arena from the south entrance. "Alright students, settle down, class will begin shortly. Please ensure your scrolls are active for the attendance check." A few of her classmates pulled out their devices to makes sure. As Blake looked around, she met eyes with Ruby, who had a look of confusion. The Faunus simply shook her head in an effort to make it seem as though there was nothing wrong. Her leader stared at her for another few seconds before slowly looking away, still looking somewhat concerned.

After a minute or so class began in earnest. The first hour of the one and a half hour class was the same as always, combat theory and application. Blake found it difficult to concentrate though, as her attention was constantly drawn to the leader of Team CRDL. Cardin kept giving her that stupid grin and would only stop whenever the professor would look his way. _What is he thinking? Is he going to try and get back at Yang and me like he said? I don't see how though, it's not like he'll be able to catch me off guard twice in one day. Even better, he would probably need many more people to be able to take on Yang in a fist fight. If I stick with her, there's no way he'll be able to get us after class. He has to know that though. What could he be planning?_

This line of thought kept the Faunus occupied for the better part of the hour, until the lights brightened suddenly. "Alright class, I know that was a bit longer of lecture than normal." Blake glanced to her scroll and saw that it had nearly been an hour and ten minutes. "However, we still have time for one sparring match. I'd like to start with any volunteers first if-"

"I volunteer to fight!" Cardin stood up suddenly, hand raised. Professor Goodwitch raised an eyebrow before responding. "Ah, Mr. Winchester, very good. You have not had a match in some time, it is good to see some initiative. Do you have another student you wish to spar with?" It was true, Cardin hadn't been in a match since his team's loss to Pyrrha many months ago.

As the bully smirked back at her, Blake realized that this must be part of his plan. _But what could he want? It's not as though he could fight Yang one-on-one, and I'm not much of a better option if I have my weapon. Besides, without backup Cardin won't be able to keep me down long enough to even land a hit! He could always try fighting our friends, but Team JNPR aren't much better options. He could beat Jaune still, but I'm guessing his pride won't let him fight the one who saved his ass from that Ursa. He can't fight Weiss since she's still on medical leave, and even if she wasn't she's a top five fighter while he's not. That really only leaves…oh Dust!_

"I want to fight Ruby Rose!"

Blake had never been one to let her Faunus nature show through. However, the moment opened his smug mouth Blake heard herself hiss in fury. She bared her teeth as her ear laid flat on her head. Next to her, Blake could feel a raging heat emanating. Looking to her right, Yang looked absolutely apocalyptic, eyes burning bright red and her hair nearly white with repressed flames. To her left she saw Team JNPR looking very concerned, though the way electricity snaked over Nora's body told her that the bomber was probably feeling very similar. Weiss looked absolutely furious, pure disgust mixed with fear on her face.

Even Professor Goodwitch was frowning. "Ms. Rose has been recovering from her last mission and has only just recently been cleared for combat activities. I suggest you pick someone else if-"

"I accept."

Blake turned back to her leader in shock. Ruby Rose was standing tall in response to the challenge. At first, the Faunus thought she was simply looking to fight; after all, Ruby had never been one to miss any combat practice. However, she was proven wrong as the reaper looked back at her and Yang. Blake had never seen so much venom, so much hatred, from Ruby before.

 _She knows._ Blake's eyes widened. Ruby might not have all the details, but she must have figured out that Cardin was targeting her and Yang through the crimsonette. Blake knew that her leader had a protective streak comparable to Yang's, but never had it been shown with this much malice before.

"Ruby, why…" Blake couldn't see Weiss' face, but the words spoke of the immense fear and concern she carried. Before the heiress could say anything further though, Ruby turned and walked off to the locker room stairs, Cardin mirroring her actions from across the room. Professor Goodwitch merely sighed before starting to prepare the combat floor, tiles shifting to create a circular dueling platform, slightly raised off the ground.

A few minutes later Cardin Winchester walked out of the north entrance, clad in his standard combat armor and hefting his Dust mace over his shoulder. He literally strutted out, the picture of confidence. The smirk he threw to the rest of Team RWBY was not well received, as Blake had to suppress a growl in response. He took his position on the south side of the platform before turning around.

Only a few seconds later Ruby emerged from the north entrance as well. Her hood was up, covering her hair and face effectively. The rest of her tattered cloak flowed behind her, holes and tears still not fixed from the Breach. The venom she had earlier appeared gone, though Blake could still feel it through the look her leader had. Ruby took her place on the north side across from Cardin, staring directly at him.

Professor Goodwitch set herself just outside the arena. "Very well, the match between Ruby Rose and Cardin Winchester will take place. This will be standard tournament rules. No specialty ammunition and no outside assistance may be given. The winner will be determined by the first person to force their opponent under 15% Aura. I will be judge and I reserve the right to stop the match at any point, which **will** be obeyed at all times. Do both participants understand?" The two each nodded. "Very well, prepare yourselves and wait for the start mark."

Cardin quickly settled into his combat stance, arms stretched forward and the head of his mace covering his chest. Ruby meanwhile slowly removed Crescent Rose from its holster, taking a moment to set her stance before rapidly extending it to scythe mode. Blake felt her breath catch as the weapon came fully into view, and the sudden gasps from her teammates showed she was not alone.

The blade was longer than the Faunus remembered, and the hook on the other side larger as well. The blades now sported newly serrated edges, and personal experience told Blake that this change was not just for killing Grimm. Beyond the shining steel it looked as though the rest of the weapon had seen better days. The black colored parts were more or less the same, though there were a few nicks in the paint. By contrast, the components that were once colored red were now showing the base steel, with flecks of the crimson coating still remaining. It was almost as if someone had tried to scrub the very color off of the scythe… _oh no…_

One look back to Weiss confirmed that she probably shared a similar fear. For the few weeks they had been back, Ruby and the heiress had been inseparable. The only exception had been when their leader was at the forge. It felt like Ruby had sequestered herself there at least once a day. At first she had thought Ruby was just working through her issues the same as she always had, by spending an unreasonable amount of time tinkering with her weapon.

Between the unusually angry look her leader had and the horrendous state of the normally pristine Crescent Rose, Blake realized that she had been very wrong.

It looked like Professor Goodwitch also held some reservations, though she apparently chose not to voice them. Rather, she took her place on the side of the platform as the energy shielding went up, blockading the two fighters inside. "Very well, are both contestants ready?"

Cardin once again smirked at Ruby. "Yeah, I'm ready to win!" He twirled his mace deftly to punctuate his statement. Ruby meanwhile simply nodded in response.

"Very well then, the duel will begin on the buzzer. Best of luck to you both."

As Professor Goodwitch spoke, the holographic displays activated, showing both fighter's Aura levels in bar form, along with a countdown from three. Blake noticed Cardin's Aura was sitting at 92%, probably still not fully recovered from his fight with Yang and her. She had initially expected it to be less, though she thought he had probably gotten Aura infusions all the same. As she worriedly mused to herself, the countdown began.

Three…

Two…

One…

The buzzer sounded as Cardin took off immediately, looking to cross the gap and engage in close range combat. Ruby stood stock still, an unusual sight, scythe stretched out behind her.

However, the moment Cardin hit the halfway point, the reaper became a blur of motion. Her cloak wrapped around her as she shot forward, not unlike a red bullet. Cardin had no time to react as the blur came upon him, steel flashing out into his chest. The horrendous screech of metal on metal sounded as Cardin was thrown off his feet by the force of the impact. He bounced and rolled once before colliding with the force field at the edge. Once stopped, Blake noticed the large gash in the center of his chest plate. Clearly the serrated edge had worked, cruelly cutting through his Aura to try and hit the person underneath. The protective shielding of his soul had still held, though the loss of 12% was nothing to scoff at. The chest plate itself had not been breached either, though Blake knew it probably didn't have more than one or two more of those hits left in it.

The armored brute scrambled to his feet, quickly bringing his mace up to block the next incoming attack. However, that attack never came, as Ruby simply reset her stance and waited. Blake knew Cardin was not the most tactically brilliant mind at Beacon (he had hit his own teammates multiple times after all), but not even he was dumb enough to fall for the same trick twice. He chose the safer option instead as he advanced slowly, clearly awaiting another frontal assault.

Ruby had different plans in mind. With a twirl, she transformed Crescent Rose into its rifle form. Taking aim, the reaper fired three rapid shots. Cardin spun his mace, deflecting the incoming bullets away. As he defended, Ruby activated her semblance, appearing to teleport ten paces to her right before firing another shot. Cardin swung around, managing to only just barely block the round. However, even as he moved to block this shot, the reaper had already shifted behind him and fired another two rounds, striking him squarely in the back. The brute stumbled to the center of the arena, quickly regaining his balance as he spun around.

However, Ruby wasn't there. For nearly half a minute this dance continued in its stuttered, counter-clockwise motion. For every shot Cardin managed to block, another found its way through his defenses from a new position. Blake realized that this couldn't continue, as Ruby would eventually need to reload. Just as expected, after the twenty-fifth round, there was a sudden break in the action, the reaper still moving as a blur with no shots being fired. Cardin clearly knew this as well, as he took only a moment to charge the Red Dust crystal in his mace before slamming it into the ground. An explosive wave erupted outwards, directly in the path of the red blur that was her leader. Blake heard Weiss gasp next to her, the Faunus herself preparing for the sight of this tide-turning hit.

The whole arena gasped in surprise when Ruby instead came to a complete stop.

The crimson blur was flying towards the wall at impossible speeds just beforehand. Blake knew Ruby was fast but had always had…difficulty stopping. As she approached, her cloak unraveled around her, leaving a whirlwind of rose petals surrounding the reaper. At the same time Ruby's speed dropped drastically as she slowly fell back to the ground, landing lightly on her feet. The moment she landed, the rose petals blasted outwards, and even Blake could feel the wave of wind that that accompanied it.

Cardin, for his part, simply stood there in shock, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Ruby did not wait as long, spinning her weapon back into its scythe mode. The reaper then dropped into a runner's stance before disappearing in a trail of roses towards Cardin's right side. The brute turned to face his opponent, only to find a gust of wind and more rose petals. Ruby, meanwhile, was crouched in a low stance to his left, Crescent Rose held at the ready. A gunshot sounded as the serrated blade caught Cardin in the thighs, tearing his legs out from under him.

The reaper wasn't finished with just the one strike. As Cardin spun sideways in the air, Ruby twirled the scythe once more before launching a high-speed uppercut slash at the brute. The outer blade once again caught him on the chest plate, causing another horrendous screeching noise as the metal tried to hold with the help of Aura. Cardin was sent spiraling away by the heavy blow at high speeds.

Or as least, he should have been. During the swing, Blake's well-trained eyes had caught more rose petals following the scythe as it traveled upwards. As the brute was starting to spiral away, the petals surrounded him, spinning around quickly. The faster the petals spun, the less speed Cardin seemed to have. Finally, the spinning stabilized, until it looked as though a tornado of red was carrying a slowly twirling figure away. Cardin waved his hands frantically, as if to dispel the crimson whirlwind holding him, but it had no effect on his almost ballet-like twirl in the air.

Ruby waited only a moment for before jumping into action herself. With a flourish, the crimson reaper leapt into the air, firing to the ground at the same time. The added momentum propelled her above Cardin, the brute's eye's widening as their gazes met. Before he could even react, Ruby fired once more, using the recoil to strike with a final, heavy downward swing.

The serrated blade crashed into the chest plate for a third time. Blake winced as she saw the shards of metal fly off, the armor itself crumbling to pieces from this last attack. At the same time, the rose petal storm dissipated and Cardin's previous momentum was suddenly restored, only to be added to by the new strike. The brute rocketed to the ground, colliding with a sickening thud. The pieces of his armor crashed around him as he rolled to a stop, his mace landing a bit further away. The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match. "The match is over, Ruby Rose is the victor."

Blake looked at the screen and saw what she could only describe as pure domination. Her leader sat at a solid 90%, the only losses due to Semblance usage. On the other hand, Cardin was at a staggering 2%, only one normal hit away from a broken Aura. She sighed as the force field around the arena dissipated; at least the match was ov-

"Look out!"

Blake's gaze shot back to the arena, only to for her breath to catch in her throat. Cardin still lay dazed on his back, clearly still reeling from his defeat. Ruby, however, had launched herself into the air again, scythe held high above her opponent. With a gunshot the reaper flew down to land the finishing blow.

It was only by the professor's reactions that Cardin survived. The same moment that Ruby fired, a pulse of purple energy blasted Cardin, sending him skidding to the wall. A fraction of a second later the scythe met the floor where he had been. A terrible crashing noise sounded out as the force of the strike drove Crescent Rose into the ground, stopping at the halfway point of the blade.

Everyone was shocked silent as they came to terms with the near murder that occurred in front of them. During this time, Professor Goodwitch got between Ruby and Cardin, blocking any further assault. "Miss Rose, the match has been called, stand down!" Ruby didn't seem to notice what the professor was saying, instead using her mechanical arm to swiftly free her weapon from the ground. "Miss Rose, stand down!" The reaper didn't respond, eye focused only on the brute struggling to get up as she took a step forward.

Suddenly, a lone white glyph appeared in her path, the snowflake pattern in the center turning slowly clockwise. Out of the corner of her eye Blake saw Weiss leaning forward, hand outstretched and a panicked look on her face. Blake knew the single glyph had no hope of stopping someone as fast Ruby. Yet, to her surprise, the reaper suddenly stumbled, before straightening up again.

Ruby was looking around, a look of confusion clearly present with her. A groan drew her glance towards Cardin, who had finally managed to stand up on his own. They met eyes when the brute yelled out, "Oh shit! Get that fucking freak away from me!"

Ruby jumped as she dropped her scythe, Crescent Rose clattering to the floor. When Blake finally got another look at her leader's face, all she could see was distressed panic etched into her features. Ruby stood for only a moment more before sprinting out of the classroom, rose petals flying in her wake. "Miss Rose!" Professor Goodwitch shouted as she went. A flurry of motion to her side appeared as Weiss actually ran out of the room, the fastest she'd moved since the Breach. Next to her, Yang appeared distraught, rocking slowly and muttering to herself. Team JNPR hadn't even moved, still too shocked by what almost happened.

 _What did we do to deserve this?_ A single tear fell as she brought her partner into an embrace. Meanwhile, a woman with hair like onyx and eyes like embers smiled from above with fiendish glee.

* * *

 **So, does anyone else write a fanfic, call it an AU, then watch as the canon story makes you rethink everything about your own little world you've created?**

 **Yeah, RWBY Volume 4 is fantastic, wonderful, and in no way in line with my story in any way shape or form. Still, Imma stick with the story I think I know that I'm writing, cause that's what I think I know, and Mama didn't raise no thinkers (wait...).**

 **Also, I really appreciate the reviews, especially the recent ones that got me back to writing this chapter. If you have any feedback, ideas, or just wanna gush about Cardin being dunked, by all means let me know! I'm not going to promise the next chapter will happen soon, but I'm already writing it as we speak (er, I mean as you read) so here's to strong motivation getting me through!**

 **Remember to favorite, follow, and comment, and I look forward to seeing you all next time!**


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